


Love and Determination

by ac0531



Series: Love Under The Moon [1]
Category: The Dragon Prince (Cartoon)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Callum is the awkward nerd we all love, Claudia and Ezran are shippers, F/M, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Minor Angst, Pining, Rayla is a soccer athlete cause why not, Romance, Slow Burn, last chapter is an epilogue, part of a series though, these two are precious
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-28
Updated: 2020-11-18
Packaged: 2021-02-28 23:48:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 23
Words: 59,346
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23355703
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ac0531/pseuds/ac0531
Summary: Callum, a freshman who attends Katolis High School, is dragged to a soccer game one night by his friend. He is reluctant at first, but when he meets the captain of the soccer team, he realises that maybe coming to this soccer game may have not been a bad thing at all.
Relationships: Callum & Claudia (The Dragon Prince), Callum & Ezran (The Dragon Prince), Callum & Harrow (The Dragon Prince), Callum & Rayla (The Dragon Prince), Callum/Rayla (The Dragon Prince), Ethari/Runaan (The Dragon Prince)
Series: Love Under The Moon [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1741243
Comments: 456
Kudos: 519





	1. When I First Laid Eyes On You

**Author's Note:**

> I was inspired to write this Modern AU with these two after reading BlehBlahBluh's College AU in "[ **Magic Between the Moon & Sky**](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17966219)". 
> 
> I highly recommend you check out Bleh's work after this, as it is a nice series.
> 
> I will now be juggling between this and another fanfic I am writing, but I might put that one to the side for a bit and work on this one.
> 
> The next chapter will be a follow up after this one.

"Pleeassse Callum?" Claudia begged as she tilted her head and gave the puppy dog eyes.

"No way Claudia, you know I don't do well in crowds" Callum replied as he crossed his arms and frowned at her. Both of them stood near the exit of Katolis High School, their classes ending just 10 minutes ago. Callum had already made plans to immediately go home once school had ended and do two simple things: draw in his sketchbook and study for his classes, as he had no intention of going to any major events or even stepping out of the house at all for the weekend.

Yet here he was, pulled to the side by Claudia, as the bustling of students leaving the school and dispersing down the streets was occurring behind them.

"Come onnn" Claudia whined as she tugged at Callum's arm, her purple nails digging into his blue jacket. "I know this is last minute, but I can't just go alone. You know that if Ava didn't text me saying that she couldn't come, then I wouldn't bother you."

"And yet here you are" Callum grumbled as he tugged his arm away from Claudia's hand. "So I assume that she must have bailed out on you at the last minute huh?"

"Isn't that obvious smart guy" Claudia retorted. "I told you I was going to this soccer game with Ava last week, and that you could come if you wanted to."

"Which I said NO to."

"And I respected that, but now that Ava can't come because she has to deal with a family emergency, I just can't go to this game alone."

"Claudia, listen I-"

"Please Callum, I'm begging you." Claudia now sounded desperate. "I don't know anyone else here. I told you I'm not the best at social interactions."

"That makes two of us do-"

"But you're the only other friend I have aside from Ava. I would have gone with Soren, but he's going to a party tonight, so I'm practically alone now". Claudia then put her hand on Callum's shoulder and put on the best pleading face she could make at him.

"I'm asking you as a friend Callum, please come with me. It's just one game, and it won't be that long I promise. Besides, it's Friday, so you don't have a strict curfew like you do on the weekdays don't you?"

Callum was tempted to simply shake off Claudia's arm and say no to her again, but then he realised that it was pointless, and that Claudia would just keep begging at him until he finally caved in.

He gave out a long sigh as he pinched the bridge of his nose with his thumb and pointer finger.

"Fine, you win Claudia, I'll come with you to tonight's game, but only this time. If this happens again, you are going by yourself" Callum reluctantly said as he saw Claudia's face light up with happiness.

"Oh my god, thank you, thank you!" Claudia cried out as she engulfed Callum in a tight hug, not caring if he was having difficulty breathing.

"C-Claudia...t-too t-t-tight" Callum choked out as Claudia's gripped tightened around him.

"Thank you Callum. I honestly can't thank you enough for this" Claudia beamed as she let go of him. "And to make it up to you, I'll pick you up early so we can find good spots to avoid being caught in a massive crowd."

Callum winced at the fact that he was going to be in an area surrounded by thousands of other people, but he knew that once you say yes to Claudia, there is no getting out of it. He let out another sigh as he saw Claudia turn around and leave, her black hair swaying in the wind as she speed-walked down the road before turning the corner and disappearing.

 _What did I just get myself into_ , Callum thought as he slowly walked away from Katolis High and back to his home.

\---------------

Callum grumbled to himself as he slipped on his jacket and wrapped his red scarf around his neck. He still couldn't believe that he had agreed to come with Claudia to the soccer game tonight, he could think of a million reasons to not go to anything at all tonight. Sure she was his friend, his friend from childhood along with her older brother Soren, but he really didn't like being out in the open with a huge number of other people he didn't even know at all.

Yet, she did promise that they would be there early, so that meant beating the huge rush of people clambering onto the bleachers just mere moments before the game actually started.

And at least the weather would be nice also, given that it was mid-September.

"Going somewhere?" a voice called out from his doorway. Callum jumped at the unexpected intrusion, and turned to see Ezran, his younger step-brother, leaning against the doorway.

"As a matter of fact Ez, yes I am" Callum replied as he slipped his sketchbook into his satchel.

"Wow, Callum is finally going somewhere!?" Ezran called out, a hint of surprise in his voice. "Tell me, what managed to get my step-brother, who is always at home no matter what is happening outside, to finally step out of the house?"

"Claudia is dragging me out to this soccer game at our school, I really didn't have a choice."

"Wait what, this isn't a date or anything is it?"

"W-what, no Ez, I'm going just to give her company because she didn't want to go by herself. Apparently her friend was originally going to go with her, but she cancelled at the last minute, so she turned to me as a replacement for just this one night."

Just then Callum heard his phone buzz and he picked it up.

_[Claudia (6:58 pm)]: Come out, I'm here._

"Well, I got to go" Callum said as he walked past Ezran and down the stairs to the front door.

"When will you be back?" Ezran called from upstairs.

"Not sure" Callum called back. "But if dad asks where I am once he is back from work, tell him that I am with a friend. Oh, and he is making dinner for you tonight."

"But he isn't the best at cooking!"

But the front door had already slammed shut.

The drive to Katolis High was just 5 minutes, though to Callum, it felt a lot quicker. He was still grumbling mentally at his predicament. Claudia on the other hand was smiling the whole drive, her eyes gleaming with excitement. Once she parked her car in the visitor's parking lot, they both stepped out and made their way to the soccer pitch, which was to the right side of the school.

The pitch itself was massive. It was shaped like a huge rectangle, and extended at least 100 yards from one end to the other, while two goals sat at opposite ends and the entire area was surrounded by a large fence. The ground was a lush green colour that was littered with white markings while large columns of bleachers encircled the area. At one end, was a large scoreboard that had a timer in the middle, while one side read Home and the other read Guests. At the four corners, were massive poles that reached incredible heights, and at the top were large lights that could illuminate the entire pitch if turned on, which made sense since the game was happening at night, and the sun was already setting by the time the two had reached it.

Given that they arrived pretty early, the place was empty, except for a few workers that were cleaning up the field in preparation for the upcoming game. Claudia guided Callum to the right side of the pitch, where they sat down on the first row of bleachers.

"Hey listen" Claudia said as she stood up. "I need to go to the rest room, I'll be back in around 10 minutes."

"Take your time" Callum responded as he pulled out his sketchbook. When Claudia left, Callum opened up his sketchbook and turned to a new page. Taking out his graphite pencil from his satchel, he slowly dragged it across the paper while his brows began to furrow in concentration at what he was drawing.

"What are you doing?"

Callum jumped at the sudden voice he heard, his head jolting up to see someone standing in front of him, not too far from where he was sitting.

"If you're here for the soccer game, it won't happen for another hour."

His eyes stared at the figure in front of him, which was a girl who looked to be around his age and height. She was wearing a red and yellow hoodie that read _Katolis Girls Soccer_ on the front. Her hands were buried in the pockets of her hoodie while she wore blue jeans and brown boots. However, her most prominent features were her large, purple eyes and completely white hair that was tied back into a ponytail. A small smile was on her lips as she walked a little closer to where Callum was sitting, but it soon faded and her expression became one of confusion when she saw that he was still staring at her.

"O-oh, s-sorry" Callum managed to say as he closed his sketchbook and tucked it back into his satchel. "You caught me a little off guard there."

"I could see that, you were quite enveloped in that sketchbook of yours" she spoke, her voice appearing to have a Scottish accent to what she was saying. "I hope I didn't scare you."

"N-no, you didn't" Callum replied as the girl was now standing a few feet away from where he was. He felt like his whole body was frozen as she just stood there, looking at him. She then smiled and extended out her right hand towards him.

"Oh, how silly me" the girl giggled. "I'm Rayla. Captain of the Katolis girl's soccer team."

 _Captain!??_ , Callum's mind began to rush now, _s-she's the captain of the soccer team??_

"Uh, C-Callum. Simple student of Katolis High" Callum managed to say before he reached his hand out and shook hers, while mentally face palming at his awkwardness. Rayla chuckled as she sat down next time him, her eyes staring at the field. Callum was still looking at her, but she didn't seem to notice as she continued to look out onto the vast pitch.

After a few minutes of awkward silence, Rayla finally broke it.

"So why are you here early?" Rayla asked as she turned her head back to Callum. "The game won't start until 8:15."

"Well, I was kind of dragged here to this game" Callum explained as his head turned from looking at Rayla to the field. "My friend Claudia was originally going to go with her friend Ava, but she cancelled out at the last minute. So then she turned to me and begged that I come because she didn't want to go alone."

"So you didn't want to come here in the first place?" Rayla asked as Callum turned back to look at her.

"No" Callum sighed. "You see, I'm not a big fan of being in large crowds. I'm kind of an indoor-only guy."

"Oh" Rayla replied. "Is that why you came early?"

Callum silently nodded as he turned away from her and took his sketchbook back out. Rayla watched as Callum began to sketch his pencil over the piece of paper, his eyebrows furrowing once again in deep concentration. She found it quite impressive to see him being passionate about what he was doing.

"Mind if I ask what you're drawing?"

Callum looked up from his sketchbook and at Rayla, her eyes showing signs of curiosity.

"Sure" Callum said as he handed her his sketchbook and she looked at what he was drawing. It was a rough outline of the football pitch, but she stared at how detailed the pitch really looked. Sure it was missing the line markings and the bleachers, but the field, lights and even the roughly drawn scoreboard stood out.

"Wow" Rayla breathed as she gave the sketchbook back. "Callum, that is really impressive. The amount of detail in that drawing makes it feel so..realistic."

Callum felt his cheeks heat up as he rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly.

"That's just a simple rough drawing" Callum replied as he turned his sketchbook to a few drawings of landscapes that were complete. He then handed it back to her while a smile began to form on his lips.

"Look at these ones, and tell me what you think of them."

Rayla flipped through the book, and her eyes began to widen. Each drawing she saw was just..amazing. The shading, features and everything else just made it seem so..life-like.

"Are you some kind of famous artist?" Rayla asked as she gave the sketchbook back, her eyes wide and filled with awe. "Cause seriously, those pictures are so amazing!"

Now Callum could definitely feel redness creeping on his neck as his cheeks felt warm.

"Well, I'm not famous, I've just drawn ever since I could hold a pencil" Callum responded as he tucked his sketchbook away. "What about you, have you played soccer all your life?"

"Yeah" Rayla sighed. "Been playing ever since I could kick a soccer ball. This is my first time on an actual soccer team, and I really enjoy it. Playing to represent our school, making everyone proud, that's what I want to do."

"Wait, your first time?" Callum asked confused. "What do you mean by that?"

"I'm a freshman Callum" Rayla responded. "This was my first time trying out for an official team, as I normally practiced on empty fields or in my backyard."

"Oh...ok" Callum replied, feeling a little awkward. "I'm also a freshman too, and I can say that high school life just feels so...different."

"True" Rayla said smiling at him. "But personally I find it more fun, just the workload can be a problem sometimes."

"Oh yeah, just wait till college."

"We still have 3 years here Callum, slow down there."

They both continued to banter back and forth about freshman life in Katolis High before Rayla took out her phone and saw that it was 7:40.

"Well, I better get to the locker rooms now" Rayla said as she got up. "I'm pretty sure everyone else is there right now and they are wondering where their captain is." Callum chuckled as he watched Rayla step down from the bleachers, but she turned to look at him one more time.

"It was nice talking to you Callum. Maybe we can talk again after the game is done?"

"That would be nice. I know you guys will kick the other school back to their hometown."

"We sure will, and you get to see it from the best spot!"

Callum laughed as Rayla smiled at him before waving and walking away. Callum watched as she turned the corner of the bleachers and disappeared to the side entrance of the school.

At the same minute, Callum's phone buzzed and he saw he had a text from Claudia.

_[Claudia (7:41pm)] : Sorry I'm taking so long. After I finished up in the bathroom, Soren called me and dragged me into some boring conversation I can't even remember. I'm heading back right now. I hope you didn't sneak off, because you know I will find you and drag you back to this game if it's the last thing I do._

Callum smiled as he put his phone away, but his mind still kept on thinking about his meeting with Rayla.

He couldn’t deny that she was really beautiful, and funny as well. Not to mention that she was the captain of the soccer team, meaning that she may be the most experienced player in the group.

Either way, Callum continued to smile despite seeing cars beginning to pull up with people pooling out and walking towards the pitch. Maybe coming to this soccer game may have not been a bad thing at all.


	2. Take My Breath Away

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A follow up from Chapter 1, Callum and Claudia watch the soccer game. However, Callum's eyes are fixated on a particular white-haired girl he had met not to long ago.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you all enjoy this chapter!
> 
> Also: Thank you so much for all the support on chapter 1! It makes me so happy to see you all enjoying this fic, and it encourages me to make this story the best it can be!! Once again, thank you all :))

The roaring of people cheering and talking aloud encircled Callum's mind as he tried his best to bury his head back into his sketchbook and refocus on what he was drawing. The bleachers had become flooded with tons of students as they clambered over one another to try and find a spot to sit on. He and Claudia still sat on the first row of bleachers, but they soon were getting boxed in as students pushed themselves through to try and sit in empty spaces next to them. Soon, Callum found himself practically squished next to Claudia's side as she happily ate a bag of chips while scrolling through her phone. How could she endure all the chaos that was happening around them? 

After a bit, Callum finally lost his focus in trying to draw and slammed his sketchbook shut before putting it back in his satchel. He then looked around and saw that the pitch was lit up as the sun had completely set, leaving the sky bathed in blackness. He could see students jumping, waving, chanting, and some even swinging flags around that had the words _Katolis High School_ inscribed on the fabric. Others also wore red and yellow face paint, signifying the primary colours of Katolis High.   
  
Taking out his phone, Callum saw that it was 8:03, meaning that the game would be beginning soon, but he didn't see Rayla or her team entering the pitch yet. However, he soon felt a jab on the left side of his shoulder and looked to see Claudia pointing out onto the pitch. Following where Claudia was pointing, Callum saw a group of around 11 girls entering the field from the far corner. All of them wore green jerseys, that were numbered on the back, and brown shorts. They also had on black stockings that went up to their knee caps along shin guards and cleats. He then saw a tall woman with long black hair enter the field with a clipboard in her right hand, while another girl, who had on a white jersey and white gloves, walked beside her.

"Is that who we are facing?" Callum asked. 

"Yep" Claudia answered excitedly. "That's the school of Del Bar. They are known for their green and brown colours."

"What about those two walking behind them?" 

"Oh, them? That woman with the clipboard must be the coach, and that girl with the white jersey is definitely the goalie."

"I wonder where our team is?"

"Patience Callum, the game will begin soon."

As Callum watched the group of girls walk across the pitch, a loud voice suddenly echoed through the entire area, surprising Callum. It sounded like someone was yelling into a megaphone to make himself clear.

" _Welcome, everyone, to Katolis High School! Tonight, Katolis will be facing the school of Del Bar, and we thank all of you students and parents who have come out tonight to cheer on! For now, let's give a warm welcome to Del Bar, as they have just entered the field!"_

"Claudia, who is yelling!?" Callum asked frantically while covering his ears.

"Oh Callum, don't be so dramatic" Claudia teased. "That's just the announcer. You know, the one who announces the teams that will be playing. He also commentates on the things that happen during the game while also yelling out who scores."

"But where is he yelling from?!"

"How am I supposed to know? Just don't pay attention to it and focus on what is going on right now. Like our team coming onto the pitch!"

"Wait, what?"

Just as Callum asked that question, the roaring on the bleachers only intensified as students began to jump faster and flail their arms around as Callum saw the Katolis girl's soccer team running from behind the bleachers and out onto the pitch. They all were wearing red numbered jerseys and yellow shorts and they also wore shin guards, stockings, and cleats, while their goalie was wearing a light yellow jersey along with white gloves as well.

_"And here they are folks, the girls of Katolis High's soccer team have now entered, let's make some noise for them!"_

As Callum looked at the group of girls, his eyes suddenly landed on a particular one who was wearing the number 7 jersey while her white hair and purple eyes stood out from the rest of the girls. Recognising who it was immediately, Callum smiled as he saw her talking with a few other teammates before they all began to walk to where the fence was set up around the pitch, not to far from where he and Claudia were sitting. Keeping his eyes on Rayla, Callum suddenly felt Claudia tap his shoulder before pointing towards a man who was walking to where Rayla's team was standing.

"I'm sure you'll recognise who he is" Claudia said smirking as Callum stared at the man. He had on a black jumper and blue sweatpants while he wore white sneakers and held a clipboard in his left hand. However, Callum could recognise that ginger hair, blue eyes, and freckle-covered face.

"M-Mr. Gren!!?" Callum gasped as Claudia chuckled at his predictable reaction. "H-He coaches this team??"

"Yes Callum, your _math teacher_ is the coach of the Katolis girl's soccer team!" Claudia laughed as Callum watched Gren signal for the girls to gather around him before lowering his clipboard and pointing at it, all while talking to them. Glancing away from Rayla and her team, Callum looked to the far right of the field and saw the Del Bar team circled around their coach as she waved her clipboard around and spoke to them.

"If you're wondering what they're doing now, they are discussing last-minute strategies before the referees come out" Claudia explained. "Once the referees step on, it's game time!"

Looking back at his phone, Callum saw it was 8:14. The game was going to start in just a few seconds and he felt excitement flooding though his entire body. He was confused, as he never felt like this at all. Maybe it was the fact that he secretly may have found all of this fun, or maybe because he wanted to see Rayla carry her team to victory against Del Bar. Either way, he didn't have to wait long because Claudia suddenly grabbed Callum's arm and began to bounce in her spot as she pointed to three men who were entering the field. All of them wore black jerseys, shorts, and shoes while two of them carried yellow and orange checkered flags. The one that didn't have a flag was holding a soccer ball in his hands instead.

"I assume those are the referees?" Callum asked as Claudia nodded her head excitedly.

They watched as the girls put their hands together with Gren, while one of them yelled "1,2,3" and everyone yelled "KATOLIS!!". After that, both teams made their way towards the centre of field, where the referee holding the soccer ball put it down while the ones holding flags went to opposite sides of the pitch. He watched as Rayla and her team met with Del Bar's team as the referee pulled out a coin. After a small debate between the two teams, the coin was tossed and once it landed the referee pointed at Rayla's team, indicating that they won the toss. They then pointed to the goal at the far right end, meaning that they would be shooting at that one while Del Bar would shoot at the goal at the far left end. The cheering soon began to intensify, as everyone seemed to be anticipating what was happening next.

"The game is starting! The game is starting!" Claudia yelled as her hand clutched Callum's arm harder and she bounced more.

"Jeez Claudia, relax" Callum hissed as he pulled his arm out of Claudia grasp and watched Gren and the Del Bar coach exit the field and stand close to the fence.

Callum continued to watch as Del Bar took the left side of the pitch while Katolis took the right side. He saw Rayla take her position as the central attacker, standing right in front of the soccer ball. 2 more girls accompanied her, with one standing on her left side and one on her right side. He then watched as 3 more girls stood behind Rayla, assuming the positions of midfielders, while the remaining 4 stood close to the goal where they would be defenders. After watching the goalie get into position also, Callum turned back to where Rayla was standing and saw that Del Bar had set up their positions as well, and he could see Rayla staring at the opposing girl right in front of her, looking her dead in the eye with a serious expression.

 _You show them Rayla_ _,_ Callum mentally said as he saw the referee take his whistle and hold it to his mouth, _you got this...make us proud._

The minute the whistle blew, the Del Bar girl kicked the ball at Rayla, and she immediately took it in her feet and sprinted with it. Callum watched as she easily manoeuvred that ball between the opposing team's attackers while passing it to her teammates that were sprinting by her sides. Everything that Callum saw looked so...fluid. She wasn't lying when she said she had played all her life, and Callum could easily understand why she was the captain. The way Rayla dodged past the opposing players with ease and the way she could easily dribble the ball was just...enticing to say the least. He began to ignore the constant screaming in his left ear by Claudia, or the bashing of hands and feet by other students that were sitting so close to him, or even the occasional loud announcer going over the speaker to say something. All he could focus on was Rayla passing, dribbling and running past Del Bar's players as she got closer to the opposing team's goal, all while assisting and getting help from her teammates.

He couldn't remember how long the game had been going on ever since Del Bar had kicked off, but what he did remember was suddenly rising to his feet along with others when he saw one of the Katolis players pass the ball into the centre where Rayla was. She then managed to get the soccer ball past 2 defenders before sprinting towards the goal. The anticipation within Callum was building up even more when he saw her take her foot back all the way and kick the ball as hard as she could. He watched as the soccer ball whizzed passed the goalie and smashed into the net. Seconds later the entire crowed erupted into cheers as Rayla jumped into the air with joy before getting engulfed in a massive group hug from all her teammates. She had scored the first goal of the game. 

_"What a shot from Katolis's number 7!! Captain Rayla Addison has put Katolis High in the lead as we continue on tonight!"_

Callum found himself joining in on the cheering as he clapped his hands and jumped up a bit, all while calling out her name and praising her for her shot, although she couldn't hear it due to the large amounts of deafening noise already emanating throughout the entire area. 

_God, she's so amazing!,_ Callum thought to himself as he saw her walk back to the centre of the field, all while getting pats on the back and high fives from her teammates continuously. He watched as the referee in the field brought the ball back to the centre and put it right in front of Rayla. After a few minutes, the whistle was blown again and Rayla kicked the ball towards the girl that was standing in front of her. Now Katolis was on the defensive as Del Bar started to pass and move the ball in an effort to break through and score. 

Callum watched as Del Bar made every effort they could to try and get to the goal, but every time they were held back by Katolis as they easily managed to steal the ball and block any attempt the opposing team made in trying to push forward. He was impressed at just how strong his school's team was. It wasn't just Rayla doing all the work, as many of her teammates played like they were already professional. They all worked together to keep Del Bar at bay until the referee suddenly blew his whistle again and waved both his arms.   
  
_"Looks like we have hit halftime folks. We're going to take a small break, but we'll be back in around 10 minutes."_

Callum watched as Rayla and her teammates walked off the pitch, and they all began to high five Gren as he patted Rayla on the back, possibly to congratulate her for her goal. He then led the girls back into the school, while the Del Bar coach and her team left the field and disappeared behind the bleachers.

"What exactly is going on?" Callum asked Claudia as he saw many of the students getting up from their spots.

"It's halftime Callum. Think of it like a small break where the teams take some time to get water and rest a bit before the game continues on. In the meantime, you can go use the bathroom or go buy something from the concession stands, which is what I am going to do."

Standing up, Claudia began to walk to where the concession stands were, but she soon stopped and quickly walked back to Callum.

"Do you want anything?"

"No, I'm fine."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes Claudia, I am sure."

"Alrighty then."

The minute Claudia left, Callum turned his head around to the bleachers surrounding him and saw that they were nearly devoid of students, although a few remained in their spots and started to look at their phones. Seeing this as the perfect opportunity to quickly sketch something, Callum dove into his satchel and pulled out his sketchbook. Turning it to a new page, he then took out his pencil and began to drag it across the paper in quick motions. 

With his mind in complete concentration, the environment around Callum began to fade away into nothing as all he thought about was wanting to complete his sketch regardless of what was going on around him. As he continued to draw however, his mind began to think about Rayla again. She moved so elegantly on the field, and the way she could handle 3 to 4 of Del Bar's defenders with relative ease really impressed him. He found it funny that he was reluctant at first to go to this game with Claudia, as he had said countless time before that he wasn't a big fan of being out in large crowds or public events. Yet here he was, sitting on the bleachers, practically enjoying himself for the first time in a long time. What was up with that?

After a while, his train of thought was suddenly interrupted when he heard Claudia plop back down next to him, her right hand holding a hot dog while her left hand held a Diet Coke bottle.

"The game should be recommencing soon" Claudia said as she bit into her hot dog. "What are you drawing?"

Looking back at what he had been drawing, Callum's eyes widened. It was a rough sketch of Rayla, sitting on the bleachers, depicting the first time he had seen her before the game had even started. Her roughly drawn hoodie, eyes, smile and hair seemed to stand out from everything else, but he still was in shock that he had been drawing her this entire time. He had only met her more than an hour ago, and yet here she was in his sketchbook. He saw Claudia leaning her head in more to see, and he responded by quickly closing his sketchbook and burying it back into his satchel.

"What's the matter?" Claudia asked confused. "You always let me see what you're drawing."

"O-Oh, w-well, it's not really a drawing of anything" Callum said as he quickly tried to come up with some excuse. "I-It's just a mess of squiggly lines, that's all."

"Hmm...weird" Claudia pondered as she took a sip of her Diet Coke. "If I know you correctly, you draw practically anything when you have even the smallest of spare time."

"I guess I might have an art block then" Callum quickly said before turning his head away from Claudia and back out to the field.

"That's the first time I've heard you say that" Claudia giggled. "You normally don't have those types of problems."

"Well I'm not perfect ok!!"

"Alright, alright, no need to get so fussy about it."

Callum sat in silence for a bit, but it was soon interrupted when he heard the announcer come back on, followed by a huge crowd of students returning to the bleachers and sitting back in their spots.

_"Welcome back folks! Halftime has officially ended and in just a few moments both teams will be returning to the pitch, where we will continue on_ _with the last half of the game. To keep everyone up to date, Katolis High leads the school of Del Bar with a score of 1 to 0, yet things can still change in the second half, so stay till the end to see where this will go!"_

Not even a few seconds later, Callum found himself squished next to Claudia again as she ate the last bit of her hotdog and began to down her Diet Coke. Once again the deafening sounds of people clapping and yelling seemed to intensify more as Callum saw Gren come back out of the school with Rayla and her teammates following close behind. Once they were at the entrance to the field, they all gave quick high fives to their coach before they entered the field while Callum saw Del Bar coming onto the field as well. it wasn't long before both teams were face to face with each other again while the referees retook their positions.

"This is it!" Claudia exclaimed. "Now we get to see Katolis finish off Del Bar for good!"

"Oh they will alright" Callum muttered.

After a few more minutes, the whistle was blown and Del Bar took the ball and began their attack. Callum saw that they had become more desperate, as they tried all kinds of methods to get passed Katolis, but it seemed to all be in vain as Rayla and her teammates easily held their ground against the opposing team's onslaught. At one point Rayla managed to cut off one of the attackers and the ball came into her possession. Excitement once again flooded through Callum as he watched her easily take the ball between her feet and rush down the pitch, while two of her teammates followed closely. Now he could really see the fear in Del Bar's eyes as Rayla ran past the the opposing players, all while they tried to stop her in any way possible. But when Rayla was close to the goal, she soon started to get boxed in as all of Del Bar's defenders ran at her. This wasn't the best move on Del Bar's part however, as Rayla saw one of her teammates run to the centre and was wide open for a pass. Callum saw her take a deep breath before she gave the soccer ball a good kick and it flew over the opposing team's heads and towards her teammate. At once Callum jumped to his feet when he saw her get the ball under control and charge at the goalie, his anticipation once again building when he saw her kick the ball as hard as she could and it flew right past the goalie.

_"GOOAL!! Katolis's number 3 Aanya Larson makes the score 2 to 0 for Katolis High, and we still have 30 minutes left in the second half of tonights game!!"_

Once again Callum was on his feet with everyone else as he cheered and clapped his hands. The deafening roars of the crowd once again making his attempt to yell out compliments at Rayla and the others impossible.

"That white-haired girl is so amazing!!" Claudia yelled out as she clapped her hands. "The way she set up her teammate for that goal was just...out of this world!!"

"Yeah" Callum sighed as a smile formed on his lips. "She is amazing."

He saw Rayla engulf the girl who just scored in a tight hug as all the other players encircled them in a group hug, while all of the Del Bar girls shook their heads in disappointment. The minute they all came back to the centre, the game once again continued as Del Bar started to play more aggressively, yet Katolis still easily kept them back despite all the effort and energy they were putting in. Eventually, the referee blew his whistle and waved his arms again, signalling the final 30 minutes of the game had passed. At once both teams stopped and began to shake hands with one another while the sounds of cheering and clapping once again intensified.

 _"Looks like that is the end of the game folks. Katolis High finishes strong with a score of 2 to 0 against the school of Del Bar. We want to once again thank everyone who came out tonight to cheer on for the girls. Your support really helped them come out victorious in the end!_ _We hope you all have a nice weekend and that you all will continue to support the Katolis High girls in their future games!"_

Callum was on his feet with Claudia as they both clapped. They watched as Gren came onto the field and shook hands with the Del Bar coach, before she gathered her team and exited the pitch, the look of disappointment clear on her face. Callum couldn't repress a huge smile forming on his lips as he saw Rayla, Gren and the others group up and put their hands together. Rayla then yelled out "1,2,3!" and everyone once again yelled out "Katolis!!".   
  
Looking around him, Callum saw students getting up and leaving, many of them heading back into the parking lot and getting into cars. Checking his phone, he saw that it was 10:07.   
  
_Wow, I was here for more than a hour and a half,_ Callum thought to himself as he chuckled slightly, _guess time flies when you're having fun._

"Hey listen, I need to call my dad and talk to him about something" Claudia said as her voice broke Callum's thoughts. "I'm going to go back into my car to talk with him privately, I'll text you when I'm done and then we'll leave."

"Ok, no problem at all" Callum responded as his eyes landed on Rayla, who was walking towards the exit of the pitch, all while talking with a few of her teammates. The minute he saw Claudia disappear into the massive crowd of students leaving, Callum navigated through the crowds to get to Rayla. He wanted to tell her how amazing she was, and congratulate her on the big win against Del Bar. Once me managed to get passed the mass amounts of students leaving, much to his displeasure, he saw Rayla walking to where the side entrance of the school was.

"Rayla! Rayla wait!!"

He saw her stop and turn her head around as he began to race walk to where she was standing. When Rayla saw Callum, a smile immediately formed on her lips as she waited for him.

"Hey Callum!" Rayla greeted excitedly when he finally caught up to her. "Did you enjoy the game? How did we do?"

"Rayla..Rayla you were so amazing out there!" Callum beamed as he took a few quick breaths. "You seriously must be a prodigy in soccer, because everything you did was just..wow."

The smile on Rayla's face only grew wider as she pushed back a bit of hair that fell in front of her face and wiped away the sweat that covered her forehead. 

"Thank you Callum. That means a lot to me..really it does."

"I can see why you are the captain! You guys definitely kicked Del Bar back to their home town."

"Well, I did promise that we were going to, and you had the best spot to see it all happen! Anyways, I'm glad that you enjoyed the game. Heck, I'm kind of glad you even came to this in the first place."

"I'm glad I did as well, because this was the first time I actually had fun."

"Wow, that must be one big step for you!"

"Oh trust me it is."

Before they could say anything else, Callum felt his phone buzz and he saw that Claudia had messaged him.

_[Claudia (10:19 pm)]: Hey, my dad needs me back at the house ASAP. So we need to leave right now! Start heading back to my car, I've already started it._

Callum sighed as he put his phone away. 

"Hey I need to get going, my friend needs to be back home now but she has to drop me off first."

"Oh ok..it was nice talking to you again Callum."

"Same Rayla, you're pretty fun to talk to. Maybe we'll see each other again on Monday hopefully?"

Before Rayla could respond, Callum felt his phone vibrating and saw that Claudia was now calling him. Groaning, he began to walk down to the parking lot, but quickly turned around and waved to Rayla, his smile still showing.

"Yeah" Rayla whispered as she waved back at Callum, her smile now soft and genuine. "I would like that..a lot."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry if this chapter was a bit lengthy, but I hope you all still enjoyed it.
> 
> Oh, and that drawing Callum did of Rayla, it will become more important later on in the story, trust me.
> 
> And as always, thank you so much for reading, it means a lot to me :))


	3. The Start Of A Friendship

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A week after the game, Callum bumps into a familiar face when navigating through the hallways.

"Alright everyone, the bell will be ringing soon so we'll stop here for today. For Monday's class, I want you all to read till page 239, and we'll have a discussion session on that."

The sounds of the school bell suddenly ringing echoed through the hallways and the classroom walls.

"Ok, I wish all of you a safe and productive weekend, and I'll see you all on Monday."

Closing his history book and putting it back into his backpack before slinging it over his shoulder, Callum sighed as he walked out his history class and down the hallway. It had been a week since the soccer game, and he hadn't seen Rayla ever since. After they had talked during the aftermath of their win against Del Bar, Callum had hoped that he would at least see her in the hallways during the times he didn't have class.

However that never happened, and it really bummed him out.

His mind was in deep thought as he walked aimlessly through the crowded hallways to his next class, his eyes pointing downwards and not paying attention to his surroundings. However, that didn't last long, as the next thing he knew his body smashed into someone in front of him, snapping him out of his trance-like state. There was a pained grunt from the person in front of him as he himself took a few steps back to recover from the collision.

"Ow! Can't you watch where you are going?!"

Callum suddenly froze when he recognised that voice, especially that accent.

"You made me drop my papers!"

Looking down, Callum saw the person in front of him crouched down, picking up pieces of paper that littered the floor, her white hair sparkling under the hallway lights.

"R-Rayla?"

The girl stopped and turned her head back up to look at Callum, her purple eyes wide with surprise.

"Oh, hey Callum."

"Oh my god, I'm so sorry! I-I didn't see you there."

"No no, don't be. It's ok."

"Here, let me help."

Immediately kneeling onto the floor, Callum helped Rayla gather up all the scattered pieces of paper. Once he collected everything that Rayla didn't, he organised them into a neat pile before handing it to her. She offered him a reassuring smile as she took all the pieces of paper that were gathered and shoved them into her backpack.

"Thanks Callum."

"Don't worry about it."

There was a small silence between the two as they stood up, both of them not knowing what to say next.

"So....it's been a while hasn't it?" Callum finally spoke, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Yes, it has" Rayla responded. "What has it been? A week right?"

"Yeah" Callum said. "So..how are things going?"

"Well it could be going better. Remember when I told you that the workload can be a pain during freshman year?"

"Yeah, I remember that."

"Well, I'm feeling that pain right now."

"Oh..your classes are giving you trouble?"

"Not all of them. One class in particular is really giving me a bad time."

Before Callum could ask her what class that was, the bell suddenly rang through the hallways again, indicating that the next class was about to start soon.

"Oh god, I can't be late to my next class!" Rayla gasped as she brushed past Callum and raced down the hallways, not bothering to stop. Callum did the same, managing to get to his next class right before it began.

\------------------------

After his math class, Callum walked out and headed towards where the cafeteria was, as he had lunch now. He still couldn't get over the fact that his math teacher was the one who coached Rayla and her team. Gren was someone that everyone loved: fun, laid-back, flexible and funny. He personally called Callum his favourite student, as he was the one who always got the highest marks on his quizzes or tests, and he seemed to enjoy his company. Despite being slightly uncomfortable by Gren's over-friendliness, Callum would make small talk with him from time to time.

Strolling into the cafeteria, Callum walked through rows of tables that were lined up from one end of the room to the other. Several students sat together in groups, but Callum would normally just sit in one of the corners of the cafe and eat his lunch in peace. When he found a good spot at one of the tables in the corner, Callum sat down and took out his lunchbox.

At Katolis High, there were two options when it came to having lunch. The first is having your own lunch while the second is buying food from what the chefs would make. For Callum, he really didn't like the food that the school had to offer, so instead, he would normally make himself a sandwich in the morning before leaving while also putting in a chocolate bar and a piece of fruit. As he unwrapped his sandwich, he suddenly heard someone plonk down on a seat not to far from where he was sitting. He paid no attention at first, but when he heard the sound of a book hitting the table with a loud thud he turned his head to see who it was, and the minute his eyes landed on the person, they widened with surprise.

It was Rayla.

Judging by the look on her face, Callum could see that she was not in a good mood. Her head was buried into her hands while a textbook filled with sheets of paper sat in front of her. He continued to look as she took out a granola bar from her backpack and began to munch on it while she opened up her textbook, being careful to not have chunks of paper spill out. 

"God I hate this class so much" Callum heard Rayla mutter under her breath as she tried to organise the pieces of paper stuffed in the book. "That teacher isn't helpful at all."

Callum saw as Rayla flipped through the pages of the book, his mind scrambling to think of what to do next. He wanted to say something to her, as she seemed to not notice him sitting just a couple of seats away from where she was. After a minute, he took a deep breath and stood up, quietly walking to where she was sitting.

"We really can't stop bumping into each other can we?"

Jolting her head up, Rayla stared up at Callum, her eyes once again wide with surprise, but a small smile formed on her lips as she watched him sit down across from her.

"I didn't know you had lunch this period" Rayla said a she closed her textbook and pushed it to the side.

"Neither did I" Callum replied. "But then again we didn't know each other until the game. So it's likely we may have seen each other, but paid no attention to it."

"Fair enough."

There was another awkward silence as Rayla pulled back the textbook.

"So are you ok?" Callum asked as he broke the silence again. "You looked really upset when you were going through that book."

"Oh this..yeah. I just came out the class that is giving me a lot of trouble."

"What class is that?"

"Chemistry."

Callum watched as Rayla took out chunks of paper that turned out to be notes scribbled with chemical equations, formulas, math, elements, and other things. He himself found chemistry to be quiet easy, but then again he also understood why it could be hard for others. 

"I swear my teacher just wants us all to fail this class" Rayla spoke, her voice showing signs of anger and frustration. "We have a test coming up on Monday, and I don't even know half the material that will be on it."

"What material is the test covering?" Callum asked.

"Molar concentrations, stoichiometry, balancing chemical equations, and empirical formula calculations."

"Really? That's all? That's pretty easy." 

"Well, when you have a teacher that does a bad job explaining the material, then it can be really difficult" Rayla scoffed. "I swear, I wonder if Dr. Khessa even got a PhD in Chemistry, or if she simply bribed her graduate school to give it to her, because she really needs to work on her methods of having her students understand what she is saying.”

Callum quietly chuckled at that comment, but he still felt sympathy for Rayla, as he could see her clearly struggling. Suddenly, his mind presented him with an idea that he might soon regret asking.

"Hey listen" Callum began. "I...understand the material that will be on the test you have. I....I could offer to help you prepare for..it."

There was a brief pause before Rayla looked up at Callum, her face showing signs of surprise at what he had just asked. Seeing her face, Callum quickly ducked his head back into his lunchbox, trying his best to hide the slight blush creeping on his face. After a bit, Rayla finally spoke.

"You..you would do that..for me?"

Callum kept quiet for a bit, before finally looking back at Rayla.

"Yes" Callum replied, his voice quiet. "I-I find chemistry to be an easy subject for me...so I can help you with any problem you have or things you don't understand." 

After a few seconds, Callum's heart began to beat slightly faster as he saw a huge grin spread across Rayla's mouth.

"I-I don't know what to say. Thank you so much Callum!"

Feeling himself ease as he watched Rayla burst with joy, Callum felt a smile of his own forming on his lips.

"Consider this a way of us starting a potential friendship" Callum said, his smile still showing as he saw Rayla laugh.

"Anyone willing save me from failing a class is definitely a friend of mine" Rayla replied as she closed her textbook before stuffing it into her backpack. Taking out her phone, she saw that they had 10 minutes before lunch ended. 

"So..where and when do you want to study?" Callum asked.

"Hmmm..." Rayla thought as she tapped her chin. 

"For the record, it shouldn't be at our houses" Callum quickly added, his cheeks once again heating up slightly.

"Oh no no, absolutely not" Rayla said rather quickly. "How about....the Katolis Public Library? I sometimes go there to do homework."

"Oh that's perfect!" Callum replied, his voice a little louder than what he had expected. "I go there all the time if I need to study, do homework or if I even want to draw in peace. Besides, it's walking distance from where I am."

"Same for me. It takes me roughly 15 minutes by foot to get there."

"Then it's settled?"

"Yes it is. The library, Sunday at 3 o'clock in the afternoon."

"Alright then."

The bell suddenly rang, and students began to get up and leave the cafeteria. As Rayla watched Callum put his lunchbox away and get up, she suddenly realised something she forget to tell him.

"Callum wait" Rayla said as she grabbed his arm. "I almost forgot."

"What?"

He watched as Rayla dove into her backpack and pulled out a sticky note and a pencil. She then scribbled something on it before handing it over to Callum. Taking the sticky note, he saw a series of numbers written on it.

"This is for us to stay in touch" Rayla explained as she zipped up her backpack and slung it over her shoulder. "Once you have some free time, shoot me a text to let me know that you have the correct number."

Before Callum could say anything, Rayla turned around and quickly walked out of the cafeteria. However, he soon saw her stop, turn around, and smile at him before disappearing into a wave of students walking down the hallway. 

Looking back down at the sticky note, Callum couldn't repress a huge smile as his mind screamed with joy. However, all of that was soon interrupted when the warning bell sounded throughout the school, indicating that class was about to begin. Realising this, Callum quickly tucked the sticky note into the pocket of his jacket before he raced out of the cafe and ran down the hallways to his next class, his mind still jumping with happiness over what had just happened.

Not only did he manage to see Rayla again, but now they were friends. He couldn't wait to see her on Sunday at the library, and he was determined to help her pass her Chemistry exam, no matter the obstacles.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for reading!! 
> 
> I hope you all enjoyed this chapter!
> 
> Unfortunately, the next few chapters will take a little longer to come out because my online classes are starting to hit me hard with exams and homework, but I'll do my best to try and get them out as fast as I can.
> 
> Just a little sneak peak for the next chapter: Rayla will learn about the drawing Callum did of her, so prepare to see her reaction :))


	4. I'm Glad To Have Met You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Callum helps Rayla study for her test, while also getting to know her better as a friend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a heads up, in this story Runaan is Rayla's uncle.

Checking his phone again, Callum saw it was quarter to three. Rayla would be here in around 15 minutes, so he still had some time. He had left his house half an hour ago, and after entering Katolis Public Library through the main entrance, he managed to find himself a small study room located in the corner of the main floor. 

These rooms were essentially used by people who wanted to work with peace and quiet and not get easily distracted by the sounds of printers running, the clickity-clackity of the librarian typing on the computer, or even the quiet whispering of others.

After laying out his Chemistry textbook, notebook, pens and pencils, Callum quietly sat in his seat and began to scroll through his phone. After finishing his last class on Friday, he added the number Rayla had given him into his contacts, and texted a simple _“ Hi it’s Callum ”_. It wasn’t long before he got a text back that was a confirmation from Rayla, giving him slight relief that he hadn’t texted some unknown stranger. 

When Sunday had rolled around, Callum shot her a text saying that he was going to leave early so that he could find a good spot for them to study, and Rayla had replied saying that was ok, and that she would be at the library at their scheduled time. 

After a bit he checked the time once again and it read 2:52, he still had some time before she would arrive, but he was now bored of simply looking at his phone, so he decided to do something else. Tucking his phone away, Callum pulled out his sketchbook and began to flip through it to a new page. 

However, he soon stopped when his eyes landed on a specific drawing. However, this wasn’t just any normal drawing of a landscape, his family, or his friends Soren and Claudia. Rather, it was the rough drawing of Rayla he had done during the soccer game he had gone to with Claudia. 

His eyes once again widened. How could he have forgotten that he had drawn her? He continued to look at the drawing, his mind not knowing what to do. He had drawn her without her permission, and worse, she didn’t even know that he had drawn her. He knew he had to come clean and tell Rayla about it sooner than later, as if she found out later, then it would crumble the new friendship formed between them.

His phone suddenly buzzed, snapping him out of his thoughts. Picking it up, he saw it was 3:06, and he had a text from Rayla.

_[Rayla (3:06 pm)]: Hey Callum, sorry I’m running a little late. I’m around 2 minutes away from the library, I’ll explain once I get there._

_[(Callum (3:06 pm)]: Don’t be sorry, take your time. Once you enter, look for me in one of the small study rooms in the corner of the main floor._

_[(Rayla (3:07 pm)]: Alright. Thank you for understanding_.

Putting his phone away, Callum turned his head back to his sketchbook, his mind finally accepting the idea of telling her about the drawing. He would deal with the consequences later. As he put his sketchbook away, he turned his head to the glass door, which presented a view of the main floor clearly along with the entrances to the library.

It wasn’t long before he saw Rayla enter, her backpack slung over her shoulder while she had her phone out and was rapidly pressing her fingers against the screen, possibly texting someone. She had on a purple hoodie, black leggings, and white sneakers. Her hair wasn’t in any ponytail, and it fell slightly past her shoulders. 

Callum once again found himself staring as she turned her head and her eyes landed on him. He could see a smile curving on her face as she walked to where he was, her right hand waving to him while her left hand tucked her phone away into the pocket of her hoodie. Once she opened the door, she sat down across from him.

“Sorry I’m a little late” Rayla said as she pulled out her notebook and pencils. “When I told my uncle I was going to the library to study with you, he became very suspicious and held me back to ask questions concerning you.”

“Really?” Callum asked, part of him surprised.

“Yes, and I finally got away from him when his husband stepped in and assured him I would be fine.”

“Hang on, so you live with your uncle?”

“Yeah...I have for a while.”

Before Callum could say something else, Rayla opened up her notebook.

“Look…I’ll answer more questions you have later ok. Let’s just get to studying, I want to be ready for this test tomorrow.”

“Oh right..right” Callum said as he opened his textbook.

———————————————

“And that’s how you find the concentration of chlorine ions in this compound.”

“Is this seriously all it takes to find it? My god this is easier than I thought it would be!”

She couldn’t believe how easy this material actually was. Her teacher had spent 3 weeks trying to explain all of this, and she had the hardest time trying to understand it. Yet Callum was able to help her understand everything that would be on her test in the span of just 2 to 3 simple hours, and she never felt more happy in her life.

“Alright, I think that’s everything” Callum said as he shut his chemistry textbook. “Do you have any questions?”

“No, I don't,” Rayla smiled as she looked through her notebook at all the writing she had done. “I understand everything now. I suddenly feel ready for this test!”

“I’m glad to hear that,” Callum said smiling.

“Seriously, I can’t thank you enough for helping me on this Callum” Rayla beamed. “Without your help, I would definitely fail this test.”

“Well I’m happy to help."

As Rayla put her notebook away, Callum’s mind soon began to remember a few things. First, he still had to tell her about the drawing he had done of her. Second, he still had questions he wanted to ask her. She told him that he could ask her later once they had finished studying, and there was just so much he wanted to say. He decided that he would limit his questions to just 5, as he wanted to get to know her better as a friend.

“Hey Rayla?”

“Yes?”

“Remember when you told me that you would answer more questions I had later?”

“Let me guess, you have more questions?”

“Yes..but I’ll only limit it to 5 ok? I don’t want to overwhelm you with what I have.”

“Hmm..alright then. You get 5 questions.”

“Alright. My first question is: How long have you lived with your uncle?”

“Well..” she began. “Ever since I was a toddler. Both my parents have jobs that require them to be in different parts of the world, and they rarely have time to take care of me properly. So they dropped me off with my uncle Runaan and his husband Ethari. Ever since then I’ve seen my parents once every few months.”

“But can’t you FaceTime or call them?”

“It’s hard to do that given the time difference in the various areas they are in. Sometimes when I try to call them they are asleep and vice versa.”

“Oh ok. Next question: Do you do anything else beside playing soccer?”

“Well…along with practicing soccer, Runaan began to teach me martial arts and self defence when I turned 7. Given that he is a little overprotective on me, he wants to make sure that I can take care of myself when he or Ethari are not around. However, it didn’t end there, because on my 10th birthday he had a gift for me. It was a pair of swords.”

Callum soon froze as his eyes widened with surprise and his jaw dropped slightly as Rayla continued.

“Runaan then started to teach me how to incorporate swords in my fighting. He himself has been training with them ever since he could hold one and believe me, he is someone you don’t want to upset. Practically all the neighbours are intimidated by him.”

“Is your uncle a trained assassin or something?” Callum asked. “Cause the way you describe him makes me feel like he’s some kind of hitman for hire.”

“No, you dummy” Rayla giggled. “He has a normal job. Now what’s your last question?”

“Huh, did I already burn through 4 of my questions?”

“Yes you did” Rayla smirked as she began to count off with her fingers. “You asked me about how long I lived with Runaan, whether I can communicate with my parents, what else I do besides playing soccer, and if my uncle is a trained assassin. So now you have only one more question.”

“Alright then…what do you want to do in the future? I mean, what do you see yourself doing once you graduate?”

“To be honest Callum, I haven't really thought that far ahead. I mean, I really want to continue playing soccer in college once I graduate, so maybe that’s one of my future endeavours, but I really don’t have an exact answer yet. Maybe as time progresses through high school and we near graduation, I may have a plan then”.

The minute she finished that sentence, her phone began to vibrate and she saw that Runaan was calling her. 

“Excuse me for a second Callum” Rayla said as she stepped out of the room. While she spoke on the phone, Callum suddenly realised that he hadn’t told her yet about the drawing of her, and he knew she had to know. Giving a shaky sigh, he pulled out his sketchbook and began to flip through it when he heard Rayla come back in.

“Hey listen, I need to get going. Runaan needs me back now.”

“Ok, but Rayla…there’s something I need to tell you.”

“What is it?”

“Well…back at the game you guys had against Del Bar, I..uh..drew...something.”

“And? Don’t you draw when you have free time?”

“Yes…but I drew something...specific.”

“What was it?”

Without saying anything, Callum lowered his head as he slid his sketchbook across the table towards Rayla. He slumped even more when he heard her grab the sketchbook and lift it up.

Silence passed for a bit, and Callum’s mind was already coming up with ways of what would happen next. Either she would just walk out, yell at him, tell him to never talk to her again, or even throw the sketchbook at him while calling him a creep. After a bit, she finally spoke.

“Callum..I’m…impressed.”

That was something he did not expect to hear from her. Quickly looking up, he could see her eyes slowly analysing the drawing, but a faint smile could be traced on her lips.

“Y-you are?” Callum asked, his voice a little higher than what he had expected. Rayla slowly nodded as she closed the sketchbook and handed it back to him.

“I-I never had anyone draw me like that on paper before, it’s..really nice.”

“So..you're not angry with me?”

She shook her head and her smile showed a bit more.

“I told you I’m impressed, and even a little honoured to have such an amazing artist like you draw me like that.”

Callum suddenly felt his entire face heat up as his mind went blank with what to say next. Once again another silence graced them, but Rayla soon spoke again.

“I need to get going now or else Runaan will start to worry why I’m taking so long.”

“O-oh yeah..of course” Callum said sheepishly as he packed up his things and slung his backpack over his shoulder. As the two left the study room and walked towards the exit, Callum was the first to break the silence between them.

“I-I’m sorry once again that I didn’t tell you sooner about the drawing.”

“Don’t be Callum. I’m perfectly ok with it. Truthfully, I’m kind of curious to see what it will be like once it is finished”.

Callum’s ears must have been playing tricks with him as they left the library. Did she just tell him flat out that she wants it to be completed? At least it was a huge relief that she was ok with him drawing her, as he had expected the total opposite to happen. 

“Well this is where we must part ways” Rayla said as they stopped near a streetlight. “I know I've said this before, but thanks again Callum. I really appreciate you helping me.”

“You’re welcome Rayla, I told you I was happy to help.”

They stood in silence for a bit after that, but Rayla soon broke it, her thumbs twiddling.

“Hey listen..after this test my teacher will start to present us with new material. I know that she will once again do a bad job in trying to explain what it is to us, so maybe you could..help me again if I need it?"

Callum was surprised by her statement, but he soon smiled at her.

"Of course I'll help you again Rayla, that's what friends are for."

The smile she gave back at him was heartwarming.

"Thank you..thank you so much."

"It's no problem at all" Callum assured her as he pulled out his phone and playfully waved it around. "If you ever need help, you know what do."

That caused a slight giggle to escape from Rayla, as they once again stood in silence.

"So..uh..see you tomorrow at lunch?" Callum asked, his mind once again drawing blanks on what else to say.

"Yeah...see you tomorrow Callum" Rayla replied as she began to turn around and walk down the sidewalk. Callum continued to watch as she walked till the end and turned the corner before disappearing. Turning in the opposite direction, Callum began to walk home, his smile still showing and never fading.

Tonight was a good night. He had helped Rayla get ready for her upcoming test, while also understanding her a bit better as a friend. Sure some of the new things he did learn about her were surprising, but he honestly couldn't care less.

What mattered to him the most was the friendship that he had built with Rayla, and he knew that it would only get better as time progressed. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for reading!! I appreciate all the support I'm getting on this story :))
> 
> I was a little mixed on this chapter because I feel like I may have rushed certain things in it, but that's just my belief. Please let me know what you all think in the comments, your feedback will be extremely helpful for me in future chapters (I want to make this story the best it can be).
> 
> Just a small heads up for the next chapter: Ezran is going to play a major role in it :)


	5. Happy For You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ezran catches Callum texting Rayla and begins to question and tease him about it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a heads up, there is a bit texting in this chapter, but it will also focus on the dialogue between Callum and Ezran.

Unlocking the front door and swinging it open, Callum trotted up the stairs towards his room. He was always the first person to be home, as Ezran would enter around an hour after he did, while his dad would be busy with work until late night. Dumping his backpack on his bed, he then proceeded to grab his sketchbook that was lying on his desk. Once he tucked in a few pencils into the pocket of his jeans, he entered the kitchen and grabbed an apple from the fruit bowl before making his way to the living room, where he sat down on the couch.

Normally when he returned home after school, he would follow the same routine: grab a snack, sit down on the sofa, draw until Ezran arrived, get to his homework, and then wait until his dad would come home so that they could make dinner. 

He opened up his sketchbook and flipped it to the drawing of Rayla. Ever since she said she was fine with Callum drawing her, he began to work on detailing the rough sketch of her sitting on the bleachers. 

Taking his pencils out, Callum began to go to work, his mind concentrating on the task before him, blurring out the environment around him.

He didn't remember how long he had spent tweaking the drawing of Rayla, but what he did remember was his phone suddenly buzzing. Taking it out, Callum saw Rayla had texted him.

_[Rayla (4:02 pm)]: Callum, you are my saviour. I seriously owe you everything._

_[Callum (4:02 pm): Why's that?_

_[Rayla (4:02 pm)]: Today we got our tests back in Chemistry..._

_[Callum (4:02 pm)]: I assume it went really well?_

_[Rayla (4:03 pm)]: I...got..._

_[Callum (4:03 pm)]: ..._

_[Rayla (4:04 pm)]: AN A!!!!!! :DDD_

_[Callum (4:04 pm)]: adhasodhaf CONGRATS!! THAT'S AMAZING!!_

_[Rayla (4:04 pm)]: I couldn't have done it without you. You literally saved me from facing the wrath of my uncle. I know I said this a lot before but I seriously can't thank you enough for what you have done :))_

_[Callum (4:04 pm)]: You're very welcome Rayla, I'm just happy that you passed._

_[Callum (4:05 pm)]: Wait..is that why you weren't at lunch today?_

_[Rayla (4:05 pm)]: Yeah, Dr. Khessa held me back after class, and she said she was surprised on how well I did, as normally not many people get A's on her test. She then began to complement me and say a whole bunch of_ _other things I really didn't care to listen about._

_[Callum (4:05 pm)]: I feel both happy and bad for you._

_[Rayla (4:06 pm)]: After she finally stopped with all the compliments and crap, I only had 4 minutes before the next class started. So I figured it would be pointless to come to lunch. Sorry I didn't let you know._

_[Callum (4:06 pm)]: What? You have nothing to be sorry for. I feel kind of bad that you didn't have time to eat anything.  
_

_[Rayla (4:06 pm)]: Nah that's ok. I had a few_ _granola bars in my backpack, so I just snacked on those._

_[Rayla (4:07 pm)]: Anyways, when I showed Runaan and Ethari my test, not only were they overjoyed, but they started to get a little bit curious about you as well._

_[Callum (4:07 pm)]: Curious in what way?_

_[Rayla (4:07 pm)]: Ehh just in the sense of who you are and all that basic stuff. I simply told them that you're just a new friend that I made. No more, no less._

_[Callum (4:08 pm)]: That's a relief, because the last thing I need is your uncle/father-figure coming after me with his blades ready._

_[Callum (4:08 pm)]: OH OH!! I almost forgot._

_[Rayla (4:08 pm)]: What?_

Opening his sketchbook back up to the drawing of Rayla, Callum took a quick photo before sending it to her.

_*photo sent_

_[Rayla (4:10 pm)]: Wow..Callum it looks so amazing!_

_[Callum (4:10 pm)]: Yeah..ever since you said it was ok to draw you, I decided to finish this one up to the best of my ability._

_[Rayla (4:10 pm)]: Do you know when you will finish it? I really want to see what I will look like once it is complete._

_[Callum (4:10 pm)]: I still need to do some finishing touches on it, but I should have it done by Monday._

_[Rayla (4:11 pm)]: Awesome!! I really can't wait to see it! I know you will blow my mind away when you show it to me because you are so amazing at drawing :))_

Callum stopped before he could type something else. The compliment that Rayla just texted made him smile as he read it over a second time. She then messaged him again.

_[Rayla (4:11 pm)]: Hey I need to get off now. We didn't have soccer practice today at school because Gren was at a meeting, so I'm going to go and practice in the back yard. See ya :)_

_[Callum (4:12 pm)]: Alright, talk to you later Rayla. Bye!_

_  
_"Who's Rayla?"

The minute Callum heard that voice behind him he jumped, knocking his sketchbook off his lap while his phone flew out of his hands and landed on the floor. Spinning his head around, Callum saw Ezran standing there, his coat and backpack still on, indicating that he had just arrived home from school. 

"E-Ez! Uh..how long were you..standing there?"

"Long enough to see you on your phone and texting someone named 'Rayla'."

"O-Oh..uhh."

"So who is Rayla?"

Seeing that there was no point in trying to hide things from his little brother, Callum gave up.

"She's..a new friend that I made."

He saw as Ezran's face lit up with surprise, his eyes going wide and his mouth slightly agape.

"Really!? You made a new friend!?"

Callum quietly nodded as Ezran jumped with some joy.

"I need all the details right now Callum!"

Callum sighed, because he knew what he was about to ask Ezran next would result in the same answer he gave him all the time.

"If I say nothing will you pester me?"

He watched as a mischievous grin crept onto his face as he simply nodded his head. Shrugging off his jacket and backpack, Ezran rocketed himself to the spot next to Callum.

"Now come on, tell me about your new friend."

"Well..Rayla is someone that I met when Claudia took me to that soccer game 2 weeks ago."  
  
"Does she attend Katolis High?"

"Yeah, she's a freshman just like me, and get this, she is the captain of the girl's soccer team there."

"Ohhh, that's so cool!"

"I know, it is quite amazing. After the game, I met her again in the hallways a week after, and then in the cafeteria."

"You two have lunch together?"

"Yes we do. I also saw that she was having a hard time in one of her classes, so I offered to help her."

"Is that why you went to the library on Sunday in the afternoon?"

"Yep, that's the reason. Anyways, I've sort of become her friend slash tutor now. If she ever needed help in that class again, I promised her I would help her out."

"And..what else?"

"What do you mean?" Callum could see the smirk on Ezran's face grow wider.

"Oh you know..."

"Know what?"

"Isn't it obvious what I am asking Callum? Have you considered wanting to...maybe ask her out??"

Callum eyes suddenly went wide and his mouth dropped at the words he just heard come out of Ezran's mouth. 

"A-are you kidding me Ez?!! No I haven't!! I told you she is just a friend, and I am perfectly fine with that."

"Aww come on Callum, you've made friends with someone who is in the same grade as you. I know that you had a small crush on Claudia, but she is way older than you."

"Only by 2 years. I also have lost my interest with Claudia, I just see her as a good friend now."

"Exactly, and this Rayla person seems like a really nice one."

"She is."

"So then why not? Come on, see if you can't ask her out to dinner or something?"

"Well I'm sorry to disappoint you, but it is not happening. Period."

"Why's that?"

"It's just..I'm happy being her friend Ez, but I couldn't possibly think of wanting to try and date her. She's definitely way out of my league."

"You're league?"

"I mean..she's pretty Ez. Really, really pretty..but she's the soccer captain, making her possibly one of the star athletes of Katolis High."

"So?"

"And then look at me. I'm just a socially awkward person who draws things."

"And what does that have to do with this league thing?"

"Look, Ezran, the point I am trying to make is that me trying to ask her out will never happen in a lifetime. I know that if I try it, she'll just reject me in a heartbeat."

"How do you know that will happen? I mean, did you try to ask her out?"

"No I didn't, and I don't plan to alright. Like I said before, I'm more than happy just being her friend."

"Ok, ok, I won't bother you anymore about it." Ezran's smirk then dropped and it was replaced by a genuine and loving smile. "But I am happy for you Callum. Happy in the sense that you made a new friend."

The annoyance that had been building up within Callum instantly died away as he smiled back at him.

"Thanks Ez, it does feel really nice to have a new friend aside from Claudia or Soren."

"Especially one that is around your age."

Yeah..especially one that is around my age."

Ezran then got up from the couch and walked to grab his backpack and coat that were lying on the floor.

"Well, I'm going to go and get my homework done. When will dad be back?"

"Sometime between 7 or 8. When he gets back we'll make dinner."

As Ezran started to walk up the stairs, he suddenly stopped and turned his head to where Callum was sitting, his infamous smirk suddenly spreading across his mouth again.

"You know Callum, I know you and Rayla are friends right now, but maybe that may change in the future."

"What! Ez what are you saying!?" 

"Oh..I'm just saying that maybe you guys might become something else in the future. Maybe...more than friends??"

"EZZ!!"

Callum felt his cheeks heat up uncontrollably as he heard Ezran laughing as he ran up the stairs and into his room, slamming the door shut in the process. Once he felt the heat inside of him die down, Callum took a few minutes to regain his composure. 

Checking his phone again, he saw it was 5:30. Realising that he had homework to do, Callum picked up his sketchbook and began to walk up the stairs, his mind trying to ignore what Ezran had just said to him.

Rayla was just a friend, and nothing more. He knew that nothing romantic between them would ever happen.

Still, he felt happy that he finally had someone around his age to talk to or to share his art with, and couldn't wait to show her the completed drawing on Monday.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To be honest, we all need an Ezran in our lives :)
> 
> Thank you all for reading!
> 
> Sorry this one took a little longer, I had a minor writers block and it caused a bit of delay on this chapter, but now I seem to have overcome it and I'll see if I can try to get one or two more chapters done before finals approach (yes I still have those even though I am quarantined :P), so stay tuned and stay safe out there!
> 
> Just a little teaser for the next chapter: Ezran isn't the only one who begins to tease Callum ;)


	6. Teasing At Its Finest

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Callum shows Rayla the completed drawing, and after talking with her again once school is over someone else begins to tease him.

Mondays were days that Callum normally hated, but today was an exception. As he sat at the lunch table that he and Rayla normally shared, his hands were already digging into his backpack to pull out his sketchbook. Once he had done so, he then eagerly flipped through it, and when his eyes landed on the completed drawing of Rayla sitting on the bleachers, his smile grew even wider.

Ever since Rayla had texted him about wanting to see the drawing all completed, he made it his mission to finish it to the best it could be, and he couldn't lie when he said he was proud of his work.

However, his marvelling was cut short, as he suddenly saw Rayla entering the cafeteria through the corner of his eye.

Quickly shutting his sketchbook, Callum then took it off the table just before Rayla turned her head to face him as she walked over and sat down across from him.

"Hey Callum."

"Hi Rayla, how was chemistry?" Callum asked as he put the sketchbook on his lap, hiding it from her sight.

"Oh the usual: Dr Khessa teaching us new content and me not understanding half the things she said."

"Do you know when your next test is?"

"It's next Wednesday. So..can we meet on Saturday so that you can help me again?"

"Of course, just text me the time and I'll be at the library in a flash."

She smiled as she took out her lunchbox, but she soon stopped when something else crossed into her mind.

"Hey, did you finish the drawing of me? Ever since you told me it would be done by Monday, I've been dying to see it."

Not saying anything, but still smiling, Callum lifted up his sketchbook and opened it to the drawing. He then slid it over to Rayla, who grabbed it without thinking twice, nearly knocking over her own lunchbox in the process.

The minute her eyes landed on the drawing, she felt like all the air within her lungs was sucked out of her. It was far from anything when she had last seen it through the photo Callum had sent to her. The amount of detail and colour that Callum had put into the drawing made it look like that she was actually sitting there on the bleachers. Her red and yellow hoodie, white hair, and purple eyes stood out the most, but everything else made it look so picturesque.  
  
Her smile grew as she looked up at Callum, her eyes once again sparking with awe and joy.

"Callum, I'm..speechless. It's so amazing! It's..it's gorgeous!" Rayla exclaimed as her eyes continued to scan every part of the drawing, her mind taking in every single detail he had sketched out and coloured in.

Callum couldn't help but give a genuine smile as Rayla continued to gush over the drawing. He found it quite adorable to see her like this. Her smile and accent were just too infectious for him to handle. However, as he continued to watch Rayla's reactions, he began to feel something else within him. It was a weird feeling, like one of happiness, warmth and something else he couldn't pinpoint exactly.

But he simply ignored it as Rayla handed back his sketchbook.

"You really did blow my mind away Callum, it's so amazing and beautiful!"

"T-Thanks Rayla." Callum was now blushing slightly but he began to tense up at what he was about to say next. "I..I was already planning to draw another one with you..i-if that's ok."

"Hmm, I see you've taken a fondness into drawing me, huh?" Rayla smirked, clear teasing evidenced in her voice.

"I-I don't have too if it makes you feel uncomfortable." 

"Who said anything about me feeling uncomfortable?"

"W-Well it's ju-"

"Callum, I've told before and I'll say it again, I am perfectly ok with you drawing me. You saw how I just reacted to the drawing you showed me not more than a minute ago, I loved it." 

He felt the tension within him release as he relaxed into what Rayla said.

"Thank you Rayla, I promise that this next drawing will be as good as the one I just showed you."

"I know it will Callum," Rayla nodded as she smiled at him. "I know it will."

\-------

Exiting his last class, Callum made his way down the hall towards the school exit. However, he soon stopped when he saw Rayla talking with a few girls near the entrance to the girl's locker room. Smiling, Callum approached her, but quickly picked up the pace when he saw she was going to enter along with them.

"Rayla hold on!"

Turning her head, Rayla spoke something else to the girls before walking towards him.

"What's up Callum?"

"Nothing much, I was just heading out of here and then I saw you about to enter the girl's locker room. I assume you guys have soccer practice today?"

"That's right, we have a game coming up at the end of October against Neolandia high school, so we are getting ready for it."

"You know something, I was kind of shocked that Mr. Gren was the coach for your team."

"Really? Why's that?"

"He's my math teacher."

"Ohh, I guess that must have been quite a shocker for you."

"Oh trust me, you should have seen my reaction when I first saw him enter the field during your game against Del Bar, I'm sure you would have been on the floor laughing."

"I guess I missed out on that huh? But seriously, Gren is one of the coolest people I have ever met. He's funny, laid-back, kind, a little talkative, and really knowledgeable about how soccer works."

"Figures, if not then he wouldn't be coaching your team wouldn't he?"

"Fair point." Rayla just couldn't help but smile at him, his emerald green eyes shining with enthusiasm.

Just then, the door to the girl's locker room suddenly swung open and a girl, wearing her red _Katolis_ jersey and soccer gear, came out.

However, Callum instantly recognised her, especially her blonde hair that was tied up into a bun. It was the girl that scored from Rayla's assist during their game against Del Bar. Aanya if he remembered correctly.

"Come on Rayla, practice will be starting soon, and you're not even ready yet."

"Alright Aanya, I'll be there in a second. If I'm late just tell Gren that I misplaced my cleats or something."

"You got it" Aanya smiled as she then rushed back in.

"Well, I shouldn't be keeping you from soccer practice, so I'd best be going now."

"Alright bye Callum. I'll see you tomrrow."

Giving him one more smile, Rayla turned around and ran into the girl's locker room as Callum continued down the hall towards the exit.

As Callum exited the school and walked down the sidewalk, he suddenly felt a hand grab his shoulder. Jumping, Callum spun around to see Claudia standing behind him.

"Claudia!? For gods sake, don't ever do that again! You nearly gave me a heart atta-"

"I saw you with that white-haired girl Callum!"

"W-What?"

"In the hallways, you were talking with her near the girl's locker rooms before you two parted ways. I recognised her as one of the soccer players for the girl's team."

"Umm..so?"

"So!? When were you gonna tell me that you made a new friend? Especially one that's an athlete!"

Callum didn't know what to say in response, but as his mind tried to formulate what he would say next, Claudia continued.

"How long have you been friends with her? I need to know everything right now Callum!"

God, it was like Ezran all over again, and he knew that she was just like him. He knew that if he tried to walk away or not say anything, then she would simply follow him and nag him on and on until he finally spilled, so it was pointless to try any of that. 

"Why are you so interested in wanting to know all about her?" Callum asked, trying to escape from being dragged into Claudia's questioning, although he knew it would be futile.

"Oh, just curious that's all" Claudia simply stated. "Now come on, tell me. Pleaasse?"

"Fine" Callum sighed. "Remember when you dragged me to that soccer game a few weeks ago? The one against Del Bar?"

"Of course Callum, how could I have not forgotten that?"

"Well, when you went to the bathroom..that's when I met her."

"Wait what? Are you saying that the minute I left to use the restroom, she just appeared in front of you."

"Pretty much, yes. I assume she must have gone out for a small walk and she saw me sitting on the bleachers. Anyways, she said her name was Rayla, and she asked me why I was here early. That's when I told her everything about how I didn't want to come here and that we arrived early to avoid the massive crowds. We then talked for a bit, and then that was it. She had to leave and get ready for the soccer game, and that was just a few minutes before you came back."

"Oh man, I guess I missed the chance of seeing her."

"Yes you did, because Soren decided to keep you inside for a little bit longer."

"So then how did you two become friends? I know that simply talking with her for a few minutes did not immediately make you her friend...right?"

"God you are so persistent you know that?"

Claudia's smile turned into a smirk as she plainly nodded her head.

"I met her again in the hallways a week after the game, and then later in the cafeteria. Apparently we have the same lunch together."

"And?"

"I discovered that she was struggling in her chemistry class, so I offered to help her."

"Ughhh, I don't blame her, chemistry is one of the hardest things the school has to offer here" Claudia groaned. "I'm more of a biology person."

"We then exchanged numbers so that we could set up appointments at the library to work."

"Ohhh, you got her number as well."

"Well yeah..how else were we going to keep in touch so that we could study together."

"Is it just because of that?" Now Callum could see the smirk starting to curve more on Claudia's mouth.

"What are you getting at Claudia?"

"Ohh, nothing Callum. It's just, you seemed so comfortable and happy around Rayla, and I started to wonder if maybe you were interested in..you know?"

"Oh no. No, no, no." Callum felt his entire face going tomato red, but he didn't care if Claudia saw it. "Don't you be getting any ideas Claudia. She is only a friend, and that is it."

"Are you sure about that? I mean, you aren't the most social person at this school Callum. Anyone that tries to talk to you, apart from me and Soren, you'd just ignore them or tell them to go away."

"Yes, yes I ge-"

"But when you were with Rayla, you seemed so relaxed and you even talked properly without any anxiety or annoyance. Not to mention, she does look to be around your age."

"She is a freshman just like me Claudia, but she is only a friend. Nothing romantic between us will ever happen. Ok!" 

The last few words that came out of his mouth were laced with irritation in his voice, and Claudia got the message as she raised her hands up in defence.

"Ok, ok. I'm sorry if I made you feel slightly uncomfortable with what I said. I guess I just got a little carried away with my questioning."

Allowing himself to calm down a bit, Callum suddenly felt a little guilty for lashing out at her like that.

"It's ok Claudia."

She then put a hand on his shoulder and smiled at him.

"But I'm happy for you Callum. It's nice to see you finally coming out of your bubble and talking to new people. Really it is."

Even though part of him was still annoyed at her, Callum smiled back.

"Thanks Claudia, sorry if I lashed out at you."

He then checked his phone and saw it was nearly quarter to 4, he needed to get home now.

"Well, I need to be heading back now. Dad has the late schedule on Mondays, so he won't be done with work until 10 at night."

"Which means you'll need to take care of Ezran?"

"Yeah. See you later Claudia."

Callum the turned around and speed-walked down the sidewalk. Claudia continued to watch as Callum got further and further away, her mind suddenly beginning to wonder.

 _Hmmm, maybe they are just friends right now._ Claudia thought to herself as she turned around and walked home. _But then again, maybe the future might hold something else for them...maybe._

Her smirk suddenly formed again on her mouth as she thought about it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Looks like Claudia and Ezran are going to be giving Callum a hard time now.
> 
> Thank you all for reading! 
> 
> As I did mention at the end of the last chapter, I will now be taking a break from writing so that I can study for my upcoming final exams. I should be back and ready with the next chapter in 2-3 weeks, but it might vary depending on when my finals are, so I hope you all will stick around and I apologise for this (I really love writing this fic, and all the support I'm getting from it makes me want to just write more and more). Once again, thank you all for the support on this story so far, and I will see you again in 2-3 weeks :)
> 
> Teaser for the next chapter: Rayla asks Callum five questions.


	7. It's Ok, I'm Here For You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While studying at the library Rayla decides to ask Callum five questions, but things don't go as planned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back!! Sorry for the long wait, but now that finals are done I can spend some more time on this fic! Hope you all enjoy :)

As his pencil pressed against the white sheet of paper and traced along the detailed outline of a jersey that read _Katolis High School_ , Callum continued to work on his new drawing of Rayla. While he did this, Rayla sat across from him and worked on a few chemistry problems that Callum had assigned to her.

It was a cool Saturday afternoon, and they had agreed prior to meet up at the library to study for the second test Rayla would be having on Wednesday. Following the same method from before, they once again settled in one of the study rooms in the corner of the library and carried out with their work.

Callum was deep in concentration as he continued moving his pencil around. After he had finished his first drawing of Rayla, he decided to try and have his next piece depict her playing on the soccer field. During the game against Del Bar back in mid-September, Callum couldn't take his eyes off her as she effortlessly handled the ball and avoided the opposing team's constant onslaughts. His mind had ingrained specific moments that stood out to him the most when she played, and he wanted to try and recapture those moments on paper.

However, his focus was soon interrupted when Rayla suddenly spoke.

"Alright Callum, I finished the last problem. Can you check and see if I did all of this correctly?"

"Sure thing. Give me your notebook."

As Rayla handed her notebook over to him, a sudden thought popped into her mind, one that she had been mulling over for quite a bit. The first time they met for studying, Callum asked her 5 questions in the hopes of understanding her better a friend, but she didn't get a chance to do the same. 

Although she assumed that Callum wasn't expecting her to have questions about him when he was asking, she actually did. Just like him, she was curious about Callum as a person, and wanted to understand him better. During the time when she answered Callum's questions, her mind was already formulating with 5 of her own that she would ask him, but Runaan's sudden intervention of wanting her to come home made that chance impossible.

She thought to herself, once she had parted ways with Callum, that she would ask him her 5 at some point, but she never really found the right time to do so. She believed that now would be her chance, but part of her mind was doubting on whether or not she should, and she didn't understand why.

Her thoughts were soon interrupted when Callum slid her notebook back over, his smile wide.

"Good work Rayla, you got everything correct."

"Awesome!" Rayla took her notebook and put it into her backpack. 

"Is that everything?"

"Yes, and thanks to you, I once again feel ready for this next test."

"I'm glad to here that. Just review the notes I wrote out for you and you will be fine."

"Thank you so much again Callum. I know that I keep dragging you out here so that you can help me, but I can't express enough gratitude for what you are doing."

"Hey, I don't care how many times I need to come out here. I made a promise to you that whenever you needed help, I would be there no matter what."

"Yeah.." Rayla smiled. "Just..thank you for everything that you are doing, you don't know how much it means to me."

"Don't worry about it Rayla, it's all fine."

As Callum ducked his head down to put away his pencil case and sketchbook, Rayla finally acquired the courage to ask what she wanted to.

"Hey Callum?"

"Hm?"

"Remember when we first studied together and you asked me 5 questions?"

Callum froze and looked back up at Rayla, curiosity shining in her violet eyes.

"Yeah?"

"Well..after you finished your questions, I kind of had 5 questions of my own that I wanted to ask you as well."

Before Callum could respond, she quickly added, "I just wanted to get to know you better as a friend also. You did it to me, so I thought I would do the same."

He gave her a smile before saying, "Rayla, it's ok. Please, ask away your 5 questions."

Feeling a sense of relief wash over her, Rayla cleared her throat.

"Alright, my first question is: Do you do anything else besides drawing? Like...do you have any other talents?"

"Well.." Callum thought as he scratched his chin. "I really don't have any other talents aside from drawing, unless you count my 'eidetic memory'."

"Your what?" Rayla tilted her head slightly and raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, sorry I keep using that fancy word for it. To put it simply, I have photographic memory. You know, the ability to remember things regardless of how long ago I saw them."

"Woah..really?"

"Yes. Here, let me prove it."

Reaching into his backpack, Callum pulled his sketchbook back out and flipped through it. When he landed on the new drawing of Rayla in her soccer uniform he showed it to her. As he watched Rayla's eyes scan over the drawing, they suddenly went wide.

"Y-You got my jersey number and the clothing so..accurately. B-But..how? You only saw me wearing my uniform at our game against Del Bar if I remembered correctly, and that was all the way back in September-"

"And it's now October, a little over a month since that event." Callum finished. "I told you, photographic memory."

"Wow, that's so cool. I wish I had photographic memory."

"Really?"

"Yeah, cause then I might be able to understand my chemistry class a bit better." There was a a bit of humour laced into her voice as she said this, and Callum chuckled a bit as he tucked his sketchbook back into his backpack.

"Ok, my next question is: Do you see yourself studying art in the future..such as in college?"

Rayla watched as Callum's eyes lit up with enthusiasm, and he nodded his head in rapid motions. 

"Absolutely! I definitely plan to study arts and design when I go to college, I have for a while."

Rayla saw how optimistic Callum sounded when he spoke, and she couldn't help but smile at it. She had seen just how passionate he was about drawing when looking at his sketches, and seeing that he already had planned to do the thing he loved in the future, it was quite amazing to see that he already had laid out a path for his future goals.

She then proceeded to continue with her next question.

"Well then, onto my next question. What is your family like?"

Callum's smile suddenly fell slightly, and he thought he had misheard her.

"Can you repeat that again, Rayla?"

"I was just asking about what your family was like Callum? Do you have any siblings? What are your parents are like? You know, that kind of stuff."

"Umm.." Callum felt uneasy about answering this. He never really talked about his family that much, especially after _the incident_ that occurred 3 years ago. Just the thought of it was enough to bring back painful memories that he had buried deep within himself. However, he sucked in a breath and answered the question, not wanting to be unfair to Rayla.

"Well...to start I have a younger step-brother named Ezran, an-"

"Wait, did you stay _step-brother?"_

"Yeah, that's right. When I was an infant, my biological father left my mom alone with me..and he never came back."

"My god..Callum I'm sorry to hear that."

"It's fine, really it is..because she remarried a few years later to a man named Harrow, who became my official 'step-dad'. Cut forward a couple more years and my mom gave birth to Ezran, and he was everything that I could have dreamed of when wanting a little brother. He's funny, smart, a little mischievous, but really friendly towards new people. Not to mention, he does have quite the sweet-tooth for candy, mainly jelly tarts."

Rayla giggled a bit. "Just like me."

"What?"

"I'm saying that Ezran shares one thing in common with me, and that is having a sweet-tooth."

"Wait, really?"

"What? Did you think that just because I play soccer, that I only eat fruits and salads and nothing else?"

"W-What, no I didn't think that. It just surprised me, that's all."

"Alright, I believe you." Rayla said, but Callum could make out the slight teasing in her voice. "But, Ezran does seem like a really sweet person."

"Yeah, he definitely is, and I love him with all my heart. You'd like him a lot also."

"What about your parents?"

"Um..I'm not as close with my step-dad as I am with Ezran, but I do love him though. I'll never forgive my biological dad for leaving me and my mom, even if I was a baby back then. When she remarried, I was excited, because even though Harrow may have not been my real father, I had hoped that he would be the 'dad' that I had wished for a long time. I would always try to talk with him whenever I had the chance. However, work seemed to make talking with him really limited. He has a job that requires him to work from early morning to late at night all the time, which would leave me home alone with Ezran. When I am able to talk with him, it would mostly be small talk, but he'd still treat me like if I was his very own son, which is why I love him, regardless."

"Is that so? But what about your mom? What does she do? I mean, you did say that you are left home alone with Ezran a lot of the time, so I assume she has a late working job also?"

However, Rayla watched as the smile on Callum's face dropped completely, and by the way his hands trembled and his eyes glistened slightly, she could tell something wasn't right.

"Callum, is everything o-"

"My mom...she died 3 years ago in a car accident."

The room instantly fell into a dead silence the minute those words came out of Callum's mouth. Rayla's eyes widened in shock, and she saw as Callum lowered his head, his eyes glassy as he rubbed them. All of a sudden, guilt flooded through her chest at the realisation that Callum was trying not to cry. Seeing that she had unintentionally hurt him, she got up from where she was sitting and walked over to his side. Kneeling down, she put a hand on his shoulder.

"Callum..I'm so sorry. I-I didn't mean to-"

"I-It's not your fault Rayla." Callum's voice quivered slightly, but he soon looked back up at her and responded with a bit more confidence. "I..normally don't talk about this. After my mom passed away, I tried to not think about it ever again. I wanted to move on and put it behind me, but I couldn't. She meant so much to me..and losing her..well...affected me deeply."

"I'm such an idiot." Rayla began to berate herself. "If I had only known, I wou-"

"You didn't know, don't blame yourself." Callum looked at Rayla, and despite her seeing that his eyes were still watery, he offered her a smile. Still, Rayla felt the guilt pang at her heart as she watched Callum rub his eyes again while a single tear fell down his cheek. It made her feel horrible seeing him like this.

There was silence between them, aside from the deep breaths Callum would take once every few seconds. After a minute, Rayla opened her mouth to speak.

"Hey.." she began, her voice a whisper. "Are you ok Callum?"

"Yeah." Callum nodded his head slowly. "I'm fine."

"Are you sure?"

"I'm sure Rayla. Even though I still struggle a bit with accepting the fact that she is gone, I'm gradually learning to get over it. I know that you can't change things in the past, and that you must move on forward." His tone then became a little more firm. "I'm really ok now Rayla, trust me."

That was enough to convince Rayla, and she breathed out a small sigh of relief. 

"Ok, I'm just glad that you are fine now. Seeing you like that made me feel awful, and I'm really sorry for hurting you like that."

"Don't be, I told you before that it wasn't your fault, you didn't know." He put his hand on top of hers, which was still on his shoulder. "And..thanks for the comfort. It makes me feel better knowing that I have a friend to talk to about this."

There was a brief pause, before Rayla spoke again, her smile soft.

"You're welcome Callum. And I'm happy to be your friend."

Callum smiled back at her. "Me too Rayla...me too."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Poor Callum..
> 
> Thank you all for reading.
> 
> Once again, I want to thank everyone for the comments, hits, and kudos. I hope you all are staying safe and healthy out there :)
> 
> Teaser for the next chapter: Callum meets Ethari


	8. Enjoying These Moments

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After the game against Neolandia High School, Callum meets one of Rayla's guardians.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologise for the wait on this chapter. My computer decided to make life difficult and corrupt the file with my work on this chapter, so I had to rewrite this one completely. Hopefully nothing else happens while I continue to write this story.

_"And that's it folks! The second half has officially ended, and Katolis High finishes strong with a score of 3-1 against Neolandia High School! We want to thank everyone for coming out and supporting the girls tonight! Happy Halloween, and we hope to see you all at the next game. Goodnight!"_

Callum found himself cheering along with the crowd as Rayla and her team shook hands with the Neolandia High School players. As he grabbed his satchel and got down from the bleachers, he quickly took out his phone and shot Harrow a text, letting him know that the game was over and that he could come pick him up now. 

Normally, Claudia would be the one to drive him home, but not tonight. A few days prior, Callum had asked Claudia if she was going to go. However, she said she couldn't, as she would have to be somewhere with her dad and Soren on the day of the game. That was when Callum turned to Harrow, because he knew that he would be off work early given that it was Halloween.

When Harrow came home, Callum told him everything as he slipped on his coat. After some thought, he had agreed to picking up Callum after the game was over, but only when Ezran was done with trick-or-treating. That didn't seem to bother Callum, as he knew the soccer game would go until 10:00 at night, and Ezran would be done way before that.

The rest of the night was a doozy for Callum. He had sat in the front row of bleachers again, and watched as Rayla and her team easily took down Neolandia High School.

However, when he had watched Rayla play, he once again couldn't take his eyes off her as she sprinted from one side of the pitch to the other, her skills in handling the ball and passing through the defenders wowing him. It was weird, as this was the same thing that had happened back when they played Del Bar. Whenever the girls would come on to the pitch and play, his eyes would seem to just lock onto Rayla, and Rayla only. 

Why was that?

Tucking his phone back into his pocket, Callum decided to go and find Rayla. He wanted to at least congratulate her on a successful game before Harrow arrived. As he tried to manoeuvre his way through the crowds of students leaving, a sudden voice called out to him.

"Callum! Over here!"

Turning his head to where he heard the voice, his eyes landed on Rayla, who was waving at him, her damp white hair glistening and her smile wide. Smiling back, Callum made his way over to her, while trying not to get knocked over by the waves of people heading over to the parking lot.

"You came!" Rayla beamed as she wiped away sweat from her forehead.

"Of course I did," Callum replied. "I wouldn't miss seeing you and your team crush Neolandia High School."

"Even if you aren't the best in crowds?"

"Yes."

"Well, I really appreciate you coming out and supporting us. It makes me happy seeing that my friend was there to cheer me along."

As the two continued talking, Rayla soon stopped when she heard someone calling out her name.

"Rayla, there you are!"

Callum and Rayla both turned their heads to see a man standing behind them. However, Callum watched as Rayla's face lit up with joy as she rushed towards him, her arms open. He then saw as the man wrapped his arms tight around her and picked her up.

As this happened, Callum took a moment to gaze at the man from head to toe. He was tall, roughly around the same height as Callum's stepdad and well-built. However, the main thing that caught Callum's eye the most was his hair. It was short and to the side, but it was completely white, just like Rayla's. Was he..related to her?

When he finally put Rayla down, he raised his head and looked at the direction of where Callum was staring. Raising a brow, he whispered something to Rayla as he pointed at him. Turning her head, she only smiled as she grabbed his hand and guided him to where Callum was standing.

"Callum, there's someone that I want you to meet," Rayla began. "This is Ethari. Ethari, meet Callum, the one that has been helping me with my chemistry class."

Ethari took a few steps forward towards Callum.

"So...this is the 'famous' Callum?" Ethari said as he smiled and extended his hand out to him. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Same," Callum smiled as he shook his hand. Once he let go, Ethari turned to look at Rayla.

"You were phenomenal out there Rayla, and I'm sorry that Runaan couldn't come. He messaged me, saying that he'll be working late tonight at downtown."

"It's a shame that he couldn't make it, but did you at least tell him that we won?"

"Yes I did. He sends his congratulations and love well..virtually."

While Rayla and Ethari continued to talk, Callum suddenly felt his phone buzz. Fishing it out, he saw that Harrow had texted him.

_[Harrow (10:18 pm)]: Hey Callum, I know that I promised I would come pick you up once the game had ended, but I'm afraid I won't be able to. Ezran wants to stay out on the streets for a little bit longer to make sure he has hit every single house so that he can get as much candy as possible. You know how he is with his sweet tooth. I'm sorry, but you'll have to walk back home and let yourself in._

Callum stared incredulously at the text.

"You've got to kidding me.." He muttered to himself, but it was enough for Rayla to hear him.

"Is everything ok Callum?" 

"Yeah..it's just that Harrow, my step-dad, was supposed to pick me up once the game finished, but now he can't."

"Why? What happened?"

"You know how tonight is Halloween right?" Rayla and Ethari nodded their heads. "Well, Ezran decided to keep him out longer to make sure he has as much candy as he can get."

"So then how are you getting home?" Ethari asked

"Normally Claudia would drive me back, but she couldn't come tonight. I guess I am walking back home."

Turning around, Callum began to walk away, but stopped when he heard Ethari's voice.

"Callum, wait."

"Yes?" Callum stopped and turned around, his eyebrow raised.

"I can give you a ride back home."

Callum froze and thought he had misheard what Ethari just said.

"What?"

"I said I can offer you a ride back to your house."

His mind began to scramble on how to respond to this. He'd only met Ethari, and yet he was willing to give him a ride back. 

"Oh no, you don't have to..really. My house is only 15 minutes away by foot, so it's really not a problem."

"No, no, I insist," Ethari continued. "Consider it a way of me saying 'thank you' for everything that you are doing for Rayla."

"Are you sure?" Callum was still slightly hesitant.

"Yes, I really mean it."

After a few seconds of thought, Callum allow himself to smile as he nodded his head.

"Ok..thank you Ethari."

"No need to thank me, it's all fine."

"Well before we go..." Rayla pointed to her damp soccer uniform that she was still wearing. "I need to change out of this and grab my stuff from the locker rooms. Callum, want to walk with me?"

"Sure thing Rayla."

"Ok, come find in the parking lot once you have your things."

With that Callum and Rayla both turned around and walked to the side entrance of the school. They were quiet for a bit, but Rayla soon spoke.

"So..Ezran seems like quite the candy-collector."

"Oh, you have _no_ idea," Callum said as he opened the door for him and Rayla to enter. "I sometimes curse the fact that he has a sweet tooth."

"Do you know what kind costume he wore for tonight?"

"He wears the same costume every year," Callum explained. "He likes to pretend that he is the king of Katolis, so his clothing always consists of: a red long sleeve shirt that is ornamented with golden patterns, a dark red robe with white fur sown into it that he wears over his shoulders, a crown, along with black pants and boots."

"Ohh, spiffy," Rayla said as they walked down the hallway. "Did you ever trick-or-treating as well?"

"When I was young I used to go with Ezran all the time, but I eventually grew out of it. You know, becoming too 'old' and that stuff."

"I see, but what did you dress up as?"

"A prince," Callum stated plainly.

"A prince, huh?" Callum could see a smirk playing on Rayla's lips as she said this.

"Well...a prince slash mage."

"Mage? You mean..like a wizard?"

"Yes, like a wizard."

"What was your costume like?"

"To be honest, it was kind of basic compared to what Ezran would wear. I mean, all I did was change by shirt, pants and shoes. "

"Is that so?"

"Yep. I'd wear a maroon tunic, black pants, and dark brown boots. I'd still keep the blue jacket and red scarf on."

"Is that all?"

"No, cause I needed people to see that I was a mage also."

"And how did you do that?"

"To show that, I took a blue glass ball and pretended that it was something that you could use to conjure up magic. I called it: a primal stone."

"Hmm..interesting name."

"I know, I came up with that one."

Rayla could hear the slight pride in Callum's voice, and it made her smile a bit to herself. Soon they arrived at the girls locker room.

"Alright, you wait out here while I go grab my stuff."

"Okie dokie."

As Rayla entered, Callum sat down against the wall and took his sketchbook out from his satchel. Opening it up to the drawing of Rayla in her soccer uniform, he began to continue working on it. He had come a long way with this drawing, and after just a few more tweaks, it would be finished. He couldn’t wait for Rayla to see it, as she had been constantly asking him if the drawing was done yet. 

After a bit, his concentration was suddenly halted when he heard the door to the locker rooms open and Rayla stepped out. She had on normal clothing while a purple gym bag was slung over her shoulder. 

"Alright, time to head back."

Quickly putting his sketchbook away, Callum got up and walked alongside Rayla as they made their way back down the hallways to the exit. They walked in silence for a bit, but Callum soon broke it.

"Hey Rayla?"

"Yes?"

"Did you ever go trick-or-treating?"

There was a brief pause before Rayla answered.

"No.."

"No?" Callum looked at her, part of him in disbelief.

"I've never gone trick-or-treating Callum, it was kind of hard for me to do so."

"Hard? What are you talking about?"

Rayla allowed herself to chuckle a bit as they neared the school exit. "It's kind of hard to go up to your neighbours and ask them for candy when they are all practically scared of your uncle."

Oh right.. how could Callum have forgotten that all of Rayla's neighbours were intimidated by Runaan? He couldn't blame them though, as Rayla had mentioned that Runaan has a pair of swords with, and is quite overprotective on her.

"Some people are even scared of going near my house because of him."

They reached the doors that left the school and Callum pushed them open, allowing Rayla to pass through as they walked down to the parking lot.

"I feel kind of bad for you.."

"Why?"

"I mean, you never had the chance to go out and experience what trick-or-treating was like."

Turning her head to look at him, Rayla gave a reassuring smile.

"It's ok Callum. I expected much given how protective Runaan can be over me."

"Isn't it kind of annoying though? Like..you're walking down the sidewalk, but not knowing that your uncle might be hiding in a tree nearby and watching you to ensure that you are safe?"

That statement caused Rayla to burst out laughing, her hands holding her stomach. 

"Ok...Runaan wouldn't...go that far Callum," Rayla breathed out between gasps as she calmed herself down. Once settled, she talked in a more calm demeanour. "But I will admit, it can be annoying from time to time. However, that doesn't excuse the fact that I still love him no matter what. He's been there for me when my parents weren't and he's essentially raised me to be who I am now. I don't care if Runaan continues to bug me, even when I am away at college. I'll always hold a special place for him no matter what."

They entered the parking lot and saw Ethari in the far corner, standing near his car and staring at his phone. When they got close enough, he looked up at them and smiled.

"About time, you two," Ethari said as he took Rayla's bag and opened up the trunk. "I was beginning to think that you both just walked home and abandoned me."

As Ethari put Rayla's gym bag in the back and shut the trunk, both Callum and Rayla got into the backseats. Ethari then sat in the drivers seat and handed his phone to Callum.

"Here, type your address into Google Maps."

Once Callum had done so, Ethari pulled out of the parking lot and left the school. Given that Callum lived close to Katolis High, the drive was just 4 minutes. Once they reached his house, Ethari pulled up into the driveway.

"Well, here we are."

"Thank you so much again for the ride."

"Don't worry about it Callum. It was my pleasure."

As he began to push the car door open, he felt Rayla gently grab his shoulder.

"Thank you for coming tonight, I'm really happy that you were there." Turning around to look at her, Callum smiled.

"It's no problem Rayla, I had a really fun time watching you guys play and come out victorious."

Silence fell between the two as they both continued to look at each other, not knowing what else to say. However, it was soon interrupted when they heard the sound of Ethari clearing his throat. Realising that he was still inside their car, Callum blushed slightly as he proceeded to gather his things. 

"So..see you later?"

"Yeah, see you later Callum."

Double checking to make sure that he had his sketchbook and phone with him, Callum stepped out. Wanting to make sure that he got inside safely, Rayla and Ethari watched as he dug his keys out from his pocket and unlocked the front door. As Callum pushed the door open, he turned around and gave one last wave at them.

Although she was sure he couldn't see her due to how dark it was outside, Rayla waved back as Ethari pulled out of the driveway. As they drove home, Ethari glanced up and saw through the mirror as Rayla leaned her head against the window, her eyes closed, but the smile clear on her face, never fading.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for reading.
> 
> Teaser for the next chapter: Harrow surprises Callum.


	9. Unexpected Invitation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After coming home from work, Harrow gives Callum news that surprises him.

"Callum!" Ezran's voice called from downstairs. "What's for dinner?"

Looking up from his sketchbook, Callum sighed as he checked his phone and saw that it was nearly 8:00 pm. He knew that Harrow wouldn't be back for another hour to two, so he and Ezran would need to fend for themselves tonight.

"Leftovers from the pasta we had last night! Look in the fridge!"

"Got it!"

Taking one more look back at his sketchbook, Callum smiled at his new drawing that he was doing of Rayla. A few days after Rayla and her team won against Neolandia High School, Callum had finally finished the drawing of her wearing her soccer gear. When he showed it to her at lunch, she had the same reaction when she had seen the first drawing he had done of her. 

She practically gushed over the drawing, saying all kinds of compliments about it. However, she also praised Callum for being the most amazing artist she had ever met. That compliment was enough to make Callum smile for the remainder of the day, as nobody had ever said anything like that to him, not even Claudia and Soren. It made him happy to see how supportive and appreciative she was about his art, although it also caused him to get flustered for reasons he couldn't explain.

"Hey Callum!" Ezran's voice rang through the house. "The food is ready! Your plate is on the countertop!"

"Ok, I'm coming!"

Shutting his sketchbook, Callum trotted down the stairs and into the kitchen, where Ezran was already sitting on the dining table, stuffing his face full of pasta. Smiling, Callum grabbed his plate and sat down next to him.

"So.." Ezran began. "I never got to ask you about how that game went a few day ago."

"Huh?" Callum looked up as he shoved a forkful of pasta into his mouth.

"That game you went to on Halloween night. How was it?"

"Oh, it was fine. Our school won."

Both siblings were quiet for a bit as they continued to eat, but Ezran broke it.

"Hey, why did you go to the game Callum?"

"What?" 

"I'm just asking, what made you want to go to the soccer game?"

"Ez..what are you taking about?"

"Well..the last time you went to a soccer game, Claudia was practically dragging you to it. You didn't want to go."

"T-That's true..I-"

"But then when this game happened, you weren't being dragged nor did you feel so upset about going to it. In fact, you seemed kind of.. _happy_ going to this one. Why's that?"

"Umm..well.." Callum could see the sides of Ezran's lips quirk into a small smirk, and that was enough for him to stuff the remaining pasta into his mouth, not caring if his face began to turn a whole shade pink or his cheeks started to heat up. He then quickly got up and went over to wash his plate, but Ezran continued to talk, his smirk still showing.

"Was it because of... _Rayla_ _?"_

Now Callum definitely felt his face burning up and his cheeks flushing.

"That's enough Ez. Are you finished eating?"

"One second."

Quickly gathering up the last of his food, Ezran walked over and dumped his plate into the sink. Callum ignored making eye-contact him, as he didn't want him to see his face still flushed from his previous statement.

"Do you need any help?" Ezran asked.

"Oh no, I got this." He then gently shooed him out from the kitchen. "You go, I'll wrap up here."

"But what will dad eat?"

"He'll make himself a sandwich or something."

"Alright."

Callum went back to cleaning up the kitchen while Ezran ran up the stairs and into his room. As Callum finished loading up the dishwasher, he heard the front door suddenly open. This was accompanied by the sound of boots thudding against the wooden floor. He continued to listen as the footsteps got closer to the kitchen. Callum saw as someone emerged at the entrance, the kitchen light illuminating the figure fully.

It was Harrow.

Seeing Callum, he smiled at him. Callum smiled back as he pressed the _start_ button on the dishwasher.

"You're home from work early."

"My meeting was cut short. Our boss wasn't feeling too well, so he stopped us early and said we would continue tomorrow."

Harrow made his way over to the fridge and opened it up.

"Did you and Ezran already have dinner?" He pulled out two pieces of bread and some butter.

"Yeah, we had the leftover pasta in the fridge."

"Good." Harrow took his pieces of bread and popped them into the toaster. The room was silent, but Harrow soon turned his head over to Callum, who was busy looking at his phone.

"Hey Callum?" Harrow walked over to him.

"Yeah?"

"I just want to say that I'm sorry about what happened a few days back on Halloween. I know that I promised I would come and pick you up. I even tried to tell that to Ezran, but he didn't seem to listen to me at all."

"It's fine." Callum assured him. "I..uhh..didn't need to walk back home. I was given a ride."

"Really? By Claudia?"

"No..she couldn't come to the game."

Harrow raised an eyebrow. "Then who?"

Callum felt a little hesitant about answering, but eventually he did. "It was from Rayla. A-"

"Rayla....wait isn't that your new friend?" The toaster suddenly _dinged_ and Harrow walked over to grab the pieces of toast, leaving Callum to look at him with widened eyes and a surprised expression.

"Wait, you..know about Rayla?"

"Mm-hm" Harrow hummed as he lightly slathered a thin layer of butter onto each piece. "Ezran had told me about you making a new friend. One by the name of 'Rayla'."

 _Seriously Ezran?!._ Callum mentally face palmed at what his little brother had done. 

Putting the pieces of toast on a plastic plate, Harrow walked over to the dining table, but not before motioning Callum to come sit with him. Quickly grabbing a glass of water, Callum made his way over. The two sat in silence, save for the audible _crunch_ there and then from Harrow biting into his food. Eventually, Harrow broke the silence when he spoke.

"So tell me a bit more about your new friend Rayla."

Callum looked up at Harrow, his face lit with curiosity.

"What do you want to know about her?"

"I mean, all Ezran said to me was that she was a new friend you made."

"That's true."

"Yes but..elaborate a bit on that."

"Meaning?"

"Well, tell me about how you met her. Does she do any hobbies? Play sports? You know, just the basic things."

"Oh well..I met Rayla all the way back in September when Claudia took me out to a soccer game at our school. The-"

"Wait, this wasn't a date or anything wasn't it?"

"N-No! I just went with her as a friend. Didn't Ezran tell you that when you came back from work that day?"

"Hmm..oh right he did. Must've forgotten."

"Anyways, it turned out that Rayla captains the girl's soccer team for Katolis High."

"Is that so?"

"Yep. After the game, I met her again a week after. I saw that she was struggling in one of her classes, so I offered to help her."

Harrow smiled. "That's really kind of you Callum."

"Thanks. I..uhh..sort of became her friend after that."

Harrow nodded his head as he finished up his dinner. However, as he went to throw away his plastic plate, he spoke again.

"You know..I'm now kind of curious about her."

Callum looked at him, tilting his head slightly. "What?"

"I want to meet her in person."

Callum's eyes doubled in size and his mouth fell open slightly.

"W-What do you mean by that?"

"I mean, we should invite her over to have dinner with us this weekend."

That caused Callum to nearly spit out his drink.

"I get off work early on Friday..." Harrow continued. "Saturday night she could come over."

Callum was now gaping like a fish, mind trying to come up with something to say back. Harrow couldn't possibly think of wanting to invite Rayla over? Then again, when Harrow says something, he does mean it.

"Hey I heard noise down here what's going on?" Ezran suddenly appeared.

"Ezran." Harrow smiled as he stood up and opened his arms.

"Dad!!" Ezran ran and jumped into him, his arms wrapping tight around him while Harrow lifted him up.

Callum was still left speechless over what had just happened.

"What were you guys talking about?" Ezran asked as Harrow put him down.

"W-We wer-"

"We were talking about Rayla, Callum's new friend."

"Really?"

"Yes, and I proposed that we should invite her over to dinner this upcoming Saturday."

"W-Wait, could I say-" Before Callum could object, he watched as Ezran's face lit up with joy.

"Oh my god, yes!!!"

"What?? Ezran!!"

"Ever since I found out about Rayla, I've been wanting to meet her in person! She should definitely come over for dinner!"

"Ha-Hang on a second, wa-"

Harrow's phone suddenly vibrated. 

"I've got to take this." Harrow said when he looked at the caller ID. "But tell Rayla that I've invited her over for dinner at our house on Saturday."

"Wait!! I don't thin-" But Harrow was already walking up the stairs and into his room, leaving Ezran and Callum alone.

"Ezran can you believe this!?" Callum asked incredously.

"Yes I can!!" Ezran beamed. "Ohh, I'm going to make the best jelly tarts for Rayla when she comes!"

"I didn't mea-"

"I'm going to bed now, tell Rayla that I'm excited for her coming!" Ezran then ran out of the kitchen, leaving Callum alone.

His mouth was still agape, and his mind was still processing what just happened. Eventually, after realising that there was no getting out of what Harrow had said, Callum took his phone out from his pocket.

Opening it up, he proceeded to access his _Contacts_ page. Tapping on Rayla's name, he was given the option of calling her, which he did. Holding his phone up to his ear, he waited anxiously as he heard it ringing. 

_"Hello?"_ Rayla's voice rung through. 

"Hey Rayla....it's Callum."

_"Oh hey, what's going on?"_

"Uhh, nothing much, but um..do you have a minute? I mean, am I catching you at a good time?"

_"Oh yeah, I just finished up my homework, so I can talk for a few minutes."_

Callum was quiet, not knowing how to explain what had just happened in his kitchen.

_"Uhh Callum? What did you want to talk to me about?"_

"Well...I just had a talk with my step-dad, and he was asking me about you."

_"Oh? Really?"_

"Yeah..really."

_"Well, what did you tell him?"_

"I told him that you are just a new friend I made."

_"Ok, that's ni-"_

"But he was still curious about you."

There was a brief pause from both ends.

_"What?"_

"He..he wants to get to know you better."

Now silence fell between the two, but it was soon broken when he heard Rayla speak again.

_"Callum? What is going on?"_

"Rayla..." Callum buried his face into his free hand. "My step-dad wants to invite you over for dinner."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for reading.
> 
> Teaser for the next chapter: Rayla POV time.


	10. I'll See You Again

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After talking with Callum on the phone, Rayla's left wondering what to do next.
> 
> (or: her reaction to Callum's last line back in Chapter 9 and having to tell Runaan and Ethari about it)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First chapter in Rayla's pov. I might include more later on.

_"Rayla...my step-dad wants to invite you over for dinner."_

_What?!_ Rayla froze the minute she heard those words. _He wants to what!??_

_"Umm..Rayla are you still there?"_

"Y-Yeah, I'm still listening Callum.."

 _"Look, I'm really sorry if this_ shocked _you. I mean..I tried to tell Harrow that he shouldn't, but then Ezran came and agreed to it. After that...there was nothing much I could really do."_

"Hey, don't be sorry. It was a little..unexpected that's all."

_"Yeah.."_

"But hey..um..let me think this over for a bit, and then I'll call or text you back."

_"Ok."_

"Alright, talk to you later Callum."

Ending the call, Rayla put her phone down and sat on her bed, her mind already scrambling.

 _Gods, how am_ _I_ _going to explain this to Ethari?_ _Or worse..Runaan._

After a minute, she eventually got up and trotted out of her bedroom and down the stairs. Entering the living room, she saw Ethari sitting on the couch, watching TV. However, he soon paused his show when he saw Rayla.

"Rayla? You're still up?"

"I know that it is a school night Ethari..but I need to talk to you about something." 

"Oh? What is it?"

Rayla flopped down on the spot next to him, mind trying to figure out how explain her earlier conversation with Callum.

"So...Callum just called me."

That caught Ethari's attention fully. He leaned in a bit more as Rayla began to explain.

"He and his step-dad had gotten into a conversation surrounding me.."

"You?"

"Yes...and it turns out that Callum's step-dad wants to-"

Before Rayla could finish her statement, the front door suddenly swung open. 

"Hello!" a voice rung throughout the house and Ethari immediately smiled upon recognising who it was.

"Runaan! We're in the living room!" 

Rayla listened as heavy footsteps made their way over to where the living room was. She saw as Runaan emerged into the light, his white hair in a messy ponytail, and his black tench coat still on. She continued to watch from the couch as Ethari got up and walked over to him, wrapping his arms around Runaan and pulling into a tight hug, one that he returned.

"How was work?"

"Tiring..." Runaan muttered once he parted from Ethari.

He then turned over to Rayla, and smiled. Smiling back, Rayla walked over and wrapped her arms tight around Runaan, who gladly responded by lifting her up.

"How was school?" Runaan asked after setting Rayla down.

"Oh the usual: learning, soccer practice, homework, etc."

That caused a small chuckle to escape his throat before he turned his attention to Ethari. 

"What do you want to have for dinner?" Ethari asked as he took Runaan's coat off.

"I'll just make myself a sandwich." Runaan replied as he walked away. 

Rayla and Ethari sat back down on the couch, and after a few minutes, Runaan reappeared with a butter sandwich in his hand. He then joined the two and they sat in silence for a bit.

"So what were you two doing?" Runaan asked as he wiped a few crumbs from his mouth.

"We were talking about Callum," Ethari replied

"Callum...you mean that boy that's been helping you with your chemistry class Rayla?"

"Yes," Rayla stated plainly. "But don't call him 'boy'. I've known him for over a month now, and he's my friend, ok?"

"So what was it that Callum's step-dad wanted?" Ethari asked.

"Step-dad?" Runaan asked, eyebrows sightly raised.

"Apparently, Callum had called Rayla a few minutes ago." Ethari explained. "He said that his step-dad had told him something, and she was just going to tell me."

"I see.."

"Now Rayla, what was it you wanted to say about Callum's step-dad?"

Rayla didn't say anything for a moment. Instead, she mentally braced herself for what she was about to say, and the probable reactions she'd get.

"Callum's step-dad...wants to invite me over for dinner.."

The room instantly fell silent, and Rayla watched as both Ethari and Runaan's eyes widened. She could also make out a frown beginning to form on Runaan's lips. After bit, Ethari spoke.

"When..when does he want to have you over?" He asked.

"This Saturday night," Rayla replied, eyes trained on Runaan as his eyebrows furrowed.

"Hmmm.." Ethari thought as he scratched his chin a bit. "I'm won't lie, I am a little surprised on this sudden invitation Callum has given to you." Rayla still watched as Runaan didn't say anything, but the scowl on his face growing more clear. "I'm also a little doubtful about it...but maybe we cou-"

"No way..." Runaan muttered.

"Runnan?" Ethari put a hand on his arm.

"I will not allow it.." Runaan gritted his teeth. "I won't have my niece go to someone else's house!"

"Wait..Uncle Runaan-"

"No!" Runaan's voice was louder now. "I'm not hearing anymore. I won't allow it! Do you hea-"

"Runaan!" Ethari's voice was gentle, but firm. He looked over at Rayla, who's eyes were slightly widened at Runaan's sudden outburst.

"Rayla, sweetie, how about you go upstairs and get some sleep now?"

Nodding, Rayla got up and scurried out from the living room and up the stairs. Ethari then turned his head back to Runaan.

"Let's continue this in the kitchen." Ethari said as he took Runaan's hand and guided him.

\--------

"I don't agree to this!" Runnan angrily hissed as he paced back and forth. "Even if he is helping my niece and is considered a friend to her, I don't trust him!"

"Runaan, you haven't even met him," Ethari said as he crossed his arms and watched his husband shoot him a glare.

"Exactly! And now...he wants to invite her over to have dinner?! It's..it's outrageous!!"

Ethari only sighed as he shook his head.

"Runaan, you really need to calm down for just a second.."

"No! I come home from work, and the first thing I hear is this 'Callum' wanting to invite Rayla over?!"

"So? It's just for dinner.."

"But I don't even know him completely! I'm not just going to let Rayla go over to some strange boy's house!"

"Runaan, are you even listening to yourself?" Although Ethari loved his husband dearly, his patience was starting to thin out a bit. "Callum isn't strange, and I know that."

"What?"

"I met him during the soccer game a few days ago when Rayla played against Neolandia High School."

"What does-"

"And he was one of the nicest people I've ever met."

Now Runaan was silent. His eyes were still narrowed, but he didn't say anything as Ethari continued.

"I know how protective you can be over Rayla sometimes."

"Yes I kn-"

"So then you and I will go with her. I mean, it's not like she was going there on her own in the first place, and at least you then get to meet Callum in person."

However, Ethari saw as Runaan lowered his head to avoid looking at him. 

"I can't come."

Ethari tilted his head and raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

"I need to be out of town from Friday morning till Sunday afternoon for some important meetings with a few clients."

"Oh.."

"I still can't believe that a new friend that Rayla made wants to invite her over to his place. Even if she's known him for a considerable amount of time, I'm still suspicious. I just..I won't allow it.."

Seeing that his husband was still staring at the ground and silently cursing to himself, Ethari let out another sigh.

"Runaan, do you trust me?" Ethari asked as he brought his hands up to cup Runaan's face.

"Of course..." Runaan responded, part of him surprised by what Ethari had asked. "You know I always do."

"Then please...trust me when I say that Callum is not who you think he is."

"Ethari, I can't-"

"Look, you know that I never lie about things, right?"

"Yes..."

"Then why would I lie about Callum? I've met him in person, and I know he wouldn't even hurt Rayla the slightest."

"Bu-"

"Now his family wants to meet her. I'm sure their excited, and maybe just curious about wanting to meet Callum's new friend."

Runaan was now quiet as Ethari continued, "So let her go, just this once. I'll go with her, and it'll only be a couple of hours at Callum's place, nothing more.."

There was silence between the two, and Runaan seemed to contemplate everything Ethari had just said. After a bit, he gave out a reluctant sigh as he slowly nodded his head.

"Alright...fine." Runaan grumbled, his voice a whisper. 

Hearing his response, Ethari smiled and leaned in planting a kiss on his forehead. "Thank you."

"But.." Runann's voice became firm. "If something does go wrong, text me at once. I'll make sure to pay Callum a... _personal_ visit when I get back."

Ethari chuckled. "Deal."

Unbeknownst to them, Rayla had actually listened to everything from sitting on the steps and peering over the banister. Upon seeing that the conversation was over, she tip-toed back up the stairs and into her room, silently shutting the door to make sure Runaan or Ethari wouldn't hear her.

Deciding to officially call it a night, Rayla collapsed onto her bed, but not before grabbing her phone off the beside table. Opening it up, she decided to message Callum.

_[Rayla (10:19 pm)]: Hey Callum, I know that it's late but I wanted to let you know that I told Ethari and Runaan about your step-dad wanting to have me over for dinner. To make it short, they have agreed that I can come over. Ethari will be coming with me, but Runaan won't be able to make it (work reasons). So...I'll be seeing you on Saturday night._

Putting her phone away, Rayla turned to her side and began to dose off. However, that was cut short when she heard her phone _ding_. Reaching to pick it up again, Rayla saw that Callum had replied.

_[Callum (10:23 pm)]: That's amazing Rayla! I know that this was so sudden, and I once again apologise for it. I actually couldn't sleep because I was wondering how Ethari and Runaan were going to react to it._

_[Rayla (10: 23 pm)]: Don't worry about it, it's all fine. As for reactions...let's just say that Runaan needed excessive calming from Ethari._

_[Callum (10:23 pm)]: That bad huh..._

_[Rayla (10:24 pm)]: Yeah...I mean I kind of expected his reaction. You know...his protectiveness on me which I've told you about a million times now._

_[Callum (10:24 pm)]: Fair. But you did text me earlier saying that you could come. Did he change his mind?_

_[Rayla (10:25 pm)]: After a bit of persuading from Ethari, yes. However, as I said earlier, he won't be coming. Apparently he'll need to be out of town from Friday to Sunday for work._

_[Callum (10:25 pm)]: So, it's just going to be you and Ethari coming over?_

_[Rayla (10:25 pm)]: Yeah, just us. But hey, you can now tell your step-dad that I can come over Saturday night for dinner._

_[Callum (10:26pm)]: That's true..I'm just glad that Runaan and Ethari have allowed you to come over._

_[Rayla (10:26pm)]: Yeah..._

_[Callum (10:27pm)]: Well, I'm going to bed now. Goodnight Rayla._

_[Rayla (10:27pm)]: Alright, goodnight Callum. See you tomorrow :)_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for reading.
> 
> I know that there wasn't much of Callum & Rayla in this and the previous chapter, but that's because I wanted to show the relationships Callum has with his family and Rayla with hers (also, I wanted to include some Runaan/Ethari cause why not). 
> 
> However, I can assure you that the remaining chapters will have a generous amount of Callum and Rayla in them :)
> 
> Teaser for the next chapter: Dinner at Callum's


	11. Letting Our Bond Grow

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rayla and Ethari meet Callum's family on Saturday night for dinner.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Man, this is my longest chapter to date.
> 
> Sorry if this is lengthy, I hope you all still enjoy it.

"Gods I'm so nervous," Callum muttered as he paced back and forth along the kitchen floor.

"Why?" Harrow asked.

"Come on Callum, you should be excited that Rayla's coming over," Ezran said as he entered the kitchen.

"I am excited..." Callum mumbled.

"You don't seem to be."

"It's just...we haven't had guests over in a while."

"Is that the reason?" Ezran smirked. "Or is it because your _crush_ is going to be meeting us?"

"Crush?!" Harrow looked up almost surprised. "Callum has a crush?!"

"That's what I believe dad, but he seems to no-"

"E-Ezran!!!" Callum's faced flushed and he sputtered, "I-I don't have a crush on her...she's just a friend. Do you hear me? A FRIEND!"

"Alright Callum, calm down," Harrow said while Ezran burst out laughing. "Don't say things that are make-believe Ezran."

"Ok, sorry." As Ezran walked away, he suddenly felt Callum grab his shoulder.

"I swear to god Ez, you better not embarrass me in front of her tonight..."

"I can't guarantee any promises." Ezran grinned mischievously.

"Of course you can't.."

The doorbell suddenly rang, causing Callum to nearly jump. Quickly running over, he opened the door and saw Rayla and Ethari standing on the other side.

"Rayla! Ethari! Hi! Please come in!" Callum said rather quickly as he stepped aside, allowing the two to enter. "Take your shoes off please."

As Rayla did this, she suddenly heard the sound of footsteps running from the kitchen, and towards where she was standing. She watched as Ezran came into view, his blue eyes sparking and his smile wide.

"Hi Rayla!" He greeted excitedly. "It's so nice to meet you finally!"

"Same here." Rayla smiled as she knelt down and hugged him. Once she parted from him, Ezran then turned to look at Ethari.

"Are you her dad?"

"No, more like her guardian," Ethari chuckled as he extended his hand out to Ezran. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Same!" Ezran shook his hand vigorously, before rushing back into the kitchen. 

"Come on, Harrow is in the kitchen." Callum said as he guided the two. As they entered, Rayla was immediately greeted to the sight of Harrow, standing near the oven, constantly checking it. However, when he saw Rayla, he smiled and walked up to her.

"Ah, so you must be Rayla," Harrow said as he extended his arm out. "Nice to me you."

"Nice to meet you too, sir." Rayla replied as she shook his hand.

"Please, no need to be formal." Harrow smiled. "Just call me Harrow."

"Oh ok..umm..Harrow.." Rayla awkwardly said.

"Pleasure to meet you Harrow." Ethari suddenly spoke as he shook his hand firmly. "My name is Ethari."

"It's nice to meet you too." He then looked behind them and raised a brow. "Is it just you two?"

"Ah well, my husband Runaan is currently out of town." Ethari explained.

"He's my uncle." Rayla quickly interjected. "And my parents, well...they're currently overseas for work reasons."

"I see. Anyways, it's nice that you two could make it." 

"So how much longer until dinner?" Callum asked.

"20 more minutes and the food will be ready." Harrow answered as he checked the oven once more. "In the meantime, Callum, how about you show Rayla around?"

"Huh?"

"Give Rayla a little tour of the house. Me and Ezran will set up the table."

"Daaad," Ezran groaned.

"No arguing Ezran. Now come on."

"Fiinnee."

"Anything I can do to help?" Ethari asked.

"Oh no, you are our guest. Please, just have a seat and we'll take care this." Harrow replied.

As Ezran moved to take the plates from within a cabinet, Callum guided Rayla out of the kitchen.

"Guess I've been assigned to show you around our house." He said as they made their way through the living room and towards the stairs.

"Well then, Mr. Tour-Guide, please lead the way," Rayla teased.

"Follow me."

Leading her up the stairs, Callum walked down the hallways with Rayla by his side. 

"Ok, so here is Ezran's room." Callum pointed to a door on the left side. "And my room is the one opposite of it..." 

As Callum continued talking about different areas of his house, Rayla seemed to ignore him as she took in everything she saw, marvelling at just how nice his house really was. However, she soon saw a large, wooden table propped up against the wall on her right. She squinted a bit more, and saw that they were photos depicting Callum and Ezran at a young age. She smirked and began to slowly make her way over, but Callum's voice stopped her.

"Rayla? Where are you going?"

Not saying a word, she picked up her speed and rushed to where the photos were, much to Callum shock.

"Rayla..wait!" Callum ran after her, but it was too late. Snatching two photos that showed Callum at a young age, Rayla held them close to her as Callum tried to grab them.

"Nice try Callum, but you won't be getting them back now." Her voice was filled with teasing and Callum's face went bright red.

"Oh jeez.." He muttered as he covered his face with his hand. 

Smirking again, Rayla looked at the two photos she held. The first one showed Callum standing outside his house. The picture seemed to be taken when he was 7 or 8, as he was short, and was wearing his "mage" costume that he talked about. His red scarf, maroon tunic, dark boots and even the blue ball that he called his "primal stone" were all shown here.

Turning her attention to the other photo, she saw that it was him as a toddler, sitting on a high chair. He had on a birthday hat that read the number _3_ on it, letting her know that this was taken on his third birthday. His wide grin and food covered face caused Rayla's heart to melt a bit.

He actually looked really... _cute_ in these pictures. 

She turned back to see Callum still standing there, his head down and his face still red as a tomato.

"Someone erase me from existence.."

Rayla giggled as she set the photos back down. "Don't be like that Callum."

"Why? You just saw two embarrassing photos of me as a child."

"Oh come on, you don't look too bad in them.."

"I- wait what?"

"You look adorable Callum."

He looked up to see her smiling at him, though it wasn't a mischievous one. It was soft, and it caused his heart to flutter slightly. 

She then turned her head back to the other photos that were on the table. She saw some with Callum, Harrow and Ezran together, while the rest showed Ezran as an infant. However, she looked up to see a few photos hanging above, but the one in the middle seemed to catch her attention the most. The photo depicted a woman, with fair skin and black hair that was tied back into a bun. She smiled gracefully, and looked to be one of the prettiest people Rayla had ever seen in her life.

"Who is she?" Rayla asked as Callum looked up with her.

"Oh, that's Sarai...my mom.."

Eyes widening a bit, Rayla's mind immediately threw her back to the conversation she and Callum had had back in the library, where he told her about his mom dying in a car crash. She turned to see Callum smiling at the picture, though his eyes looked to be glassy.

"Hey.." Rayla put a hand on his shoulder. Turning to look at her, Callum smiled reassuringly.

"I'm ok Rayla...I'm ok."

"Alright, just checking." She then returned her attention back to the picture of Sarai. "She's beautiful Callum.."

"Thanks Rayla, she would've liked you a lot."

"Really?"

"Yeah, she was extremely nice to everyone. She loved meeting new people, and if she was alive today to see that you were my friend, she would have welcomed you with open arms."

"She sounds like such an amazing person.."

"Trust me, she was..."

Her eyes then began to wander to the pictures surrounding Sarai. There was one with Callum and Harrow, another with Ezran, but it was the last picture she saw that raised her interest. It showed Callum and Ezran standing, but with a woman behind them. She looked similar to Sarai, and was wearing a green military uniform. Her hair was cut short, and she seemed to have a scar on her right cheek. She was shown smiling, while one hand was on Callum's shoulder and her other on Ezran's

"Who's this Callum?" He turned to see Rayla pointing at the picture. Narrowing his eyes a bit, Callum soon smiled.

"That's Aunt Amaya, my mom's younger sister."

"Ah..I see that she's wearing a military outfit. Is she in the army?"

"Yeah, she's a high ranking general, and she's currently stationed overseas."

"Does she visit?"

"Rarely. Being a general means that she oversees all the military action from where she is. So she doesn't have enough time to come and see us that often. Once in a while though, she may be able to come visit for just a few hours before she needs to leave back to her base."

"Oh..."

They continued to look at the picture, but Harrow's voice calling from downstairs soon interrupted them.

"Callum! Food is ready!"

"Coming!" Callum called back as he then turned his head to Rayla. "Shall we?"

"Yes please, I'm starving."

"You go to the dining room. I'll head into the kitchen to see if Ezran needs anymore help."

"Ok."

Racing down the stairs and into the dining room, Rayla soon froze at the sight she saw before her. Dishes filled with chicken, meatloaf, steak, and mac & cheese were set out on the large, circular dining table. The sight and smell that immediately flooded her nostrils when she entered the room was enough to cause her mouth to water slightly. It looked very appetising, but it seemed to be a lot.

She then spotted Ethari, who was already sitting down and scanning everything that had been laid out. She proceeded to sit down next to him.

"I must say, this is quite a lot of food," Ethari said.

"It look so delicious though," Rayla replied.

"It does doesn't it. Where's Callum?"

"In the kitchen with Harrow and Ezran."

"Why aren-" However, Ethari stopped when he saw Callum, Ezran and Harrow enter the dining room. Rayla watched as Ezran appeared to be holding a bowl filled with triangular pastries, which he set down in the middle. Callum then sat next to Rayla, while Ezran sat next to him.

"Well...what do you think?" Callum asked as he watched Rayla continued to look at all the food in front of her.

"This is a lot of food Callum. This could feed an entire village."

"Well, Callum is the one to blame for all of this." Ezran said, smirking.

"What? Why me!?"

"You were the one who said you wanted to make a good impression on Rayla, so you went as far as to have so many dishes prepared before she got here."

"He-Hey, I..." Callum didn't know how to respond to this. He heard Rayla giggling beside him as Harrow took his seat right next to Ethari.

"Alright everyone, dig in." 

Everyone began to fill their plates up with all sorts of food, and Rayla was still a little surprised at how much food Callum's family had prepared. However, she couldn't care less because the minute she took a bite out of some chicken, she felt her tastebuds explode at the rich flavour it had.

"Oh my god, the food is so good." Rayla said as she shoved another forkful of chicken into her mouth. "What do you think Ethari?"

"I agree with you Rayla, this is some of the best meatloaf I've had in a while."

"Happy to hear you guys like the food." Callum smiled. "Guess all the hard work we did payed off."

"Oh it definitely did, cause I'm in food heaven right now," Rayla mused.

There was silence for a bit as everyone continued eating. However, it was soon broken when Harrow spoke.

"So Rayla.." Harrow began. "Callum told me that you play soccer."

"That's right." Rayla replied. "I play for the school team, an-"

"We know." Ezran piped in. "Callum told us that you're the captain! That's so cool!"

"Ezran, keep it down.." Callum put a hand on his shoulder.

"Anyways, Callum also told me that he met you during a game that you guys had back in September."

"Yes, that was against Del Bar. Before the game, I decided to go outside and take a little walk, and I stumbled upon Callum sitting on the bleachers, drawing in his sketchbook, an-"

"We know the rest," Ezran said. "He watches the game, meets you again a week later, and from there you guys became friends after he volunteered to help you with one of your classes."

"Way to summarise it Ezran." Callum laughed. "But in all honesty, if I had never gone to that game with Claudia, then me bumping into Rayla really wouldn't have mattered that much."

"True.." Rayla smiled. "I would have simply said 'watch where you're going' and that would've been it. Guess Claudia indirectly caused our amazing friendship to form huh Callum?"

"You're right, and we have her to thank for it."

The room instantly fell silent after that, save for the sounds of metallic cutlery scraping against plates. 

"Callum has gone to all your games so far hasn't he?" Ezran suddenly spoke, breaking the silence.

Rayla looked up at him, slightly confused. "Umm...yes he has."

"Ezran..." Callum glared at his brother, who smirked at him.

"What are you talking about Ezran?"

"Oh nothing Rayla. It's just, he never likes going to any big events or crowded areas.."

"Ezran, sto-"

"Well I know that."

"But now, he's willing to go to the soccer games at his school, despite his hatred for crowded places."

"So?"

"Well I think he might be doing this because he may li-"

"OK, OK! That's enough mister!" Callum said rather loudly as he lowered his head to avoid the gaze of Rayla, who was tilting her head slightly. Ezran could only giggle a bit as he continued eating, not saying a word after that. Harrow and Ethari exchanged confused looks, before returning to their meals.

For the remainder of dinner, no one said anything else. After a while, everyone soon finished and Ezran eyed the bowl filled with jelly tarts in the middle.

"Alright, dinner is over. Time for dessert." He reached over to grab the jelly tart bowl, but Callum smacked his hand. 

"Ah, ah, Ezran, our guests should try them first." He motioned to Rayla and Ethari.

"Oh fine." Ezran grumbled a bit as he reached in and grabbed a jelly tart. He then handed it to Rayla, who took it slowly.

"What exactly is this?" Rayla asked.

Ezran gasped. "You've never had a jelly tart before?!"

"Well I've heard of them. Callum told me that you have a certain sweet tooth for these."

Ezran laughed and raised his hands up. "Guilty as charged for that, but seriously, you've never had these before?"

"Nope."

"Well, then today is your lucky day. Take a bite out it, and tell me what you think. I promise you, it will be the best thing that has ever happened to you."

She was still hesitant as she eyed the pastry she held in her hand, but eventually she leaned forward and bit into it.

"Well?" Callum asked as Rayla chewed. Then, her eyes went wide and a huge smile formed on her lips.

"This...is the best thing I have ever had."

"I knew you'd like it!" Ezran beamed as he began to stuff his face with them.

"Ethari, you need to try one." Rayla quickly grabbed another jelly tart and handed it to him.

"You know I'm not a sweets person." Ethari replied as he set it down. 

"Oh well..more for me then!" Ezran smiled as he continued eating.

"Ezran, save some for me and Callum." Harrow laughed.

"Then take them now, before I eat all of them." Ezran quickly said, voice slightly muffled due to his stuffed mouth.

Watching Ezran tear away at the jelly tarts, Rayla leaned over to Callum. 

"You weren't lying when you said he has a sweet tooth." She whispered, and Callum had to repress a laugh that bubbled in his throat.

"What about you? Do you eat candy like that?"

"I don't stuff my face. I have a limitation to the amount I eat Callum." 

"Are you surrreee?" There was teasing laced into his voice, and Rayla rolled her eyes.

"Yes I'm sure.."

"Ok I believe you...Ms. Liar, Liar Pants On Fire."

"Oh shut up you." Rayla playfully shoved him, causing him to laugh.

\------------ 

After everyone put their plates in the sink, Ezran decided to call it a night while Ethari stayed in the kitchen and chatted with Harrow. Callum and Rayla sat on the couch in the living room. 

"Looks like Ethari and your step-dad have really hit it off." Rayla said as she overhead their conversations.

"I know, and Ezran seems to be sleeping now." He turned to look at Rayla. "So what do you want to do?"

"Hmm..I'm not so sure.." She thought for a minute, but then an idea came into mind. "Wait, I know."

"Hmm?"

"Remember back in September when you asked me five questions?"

"Of course I remember that."

"And remember when I told you that I don't just play soccer, but also train with swords under Runaan?"

"Yeah.."

"Well..." She took out her phone. "How about I show you a video of me training?"

"Woah, really!?"

"Mhm." Scrolling through her phone, Rayla soon found the videos that contained her training montages.

"Here's my most recent one." She explained as she pressed play. "This was last week."

Callum watched as Rayla readied her blades. He then heard Runaan's voice in the background yelling commands at her as she began to move around and swing her swords in fluent motions. As the video continued, Callum could only marvel at how elegantly Rayla swung her blades and flipped around. He knew that she was already deadly when given a soccer ball, but seeing that she could do parkour with swords was enough to make him see just how dangerous she could really be.

The video soon ended with Rayla looking up at the camera, her face covered in sweat and her hair damp as the sounds of Runaan clapping could be heard.

"Well? What did you think?" Rayla asked. Callum looked up at her, his eyes wide but a huge grin tugging at his lips.

"Rayla, that was so amazing!" Callum exclaimed. "You're literally like a ninja!" He then made cutting motions with his hands. "You were all like _swish, swoosh, slash_ in those videos you showed me!"

Feeling her cheeks heat up slightly at his compliment, Rayla couldn't help but laugh at his antics.

 _God he's such a dork._ Rayla thought to herself.

"You could definitely be an assassin or bodyguard for hire!" He continued. "You even remind me of those elves from Lord Of The Rings, and-"

"Woah, woah, wait a minute Callum.." He turned his head to see Rayla raising an eyebrow and cocking her head slightly. "Did you just compare me to an elf from Lord Of The Rings?"

Callum suddenly froze and realised that he’d been rambling.

"Oh..did I?" 

"Yes you did. You said, and I quote.." She made two quotation gestures with her hands. "'You remind me of those elves from Lord Of The Rings'"

"O-Oh..uhhh..." Callum felt his face flush slightly. "Well..I..uhh..didn't mean it in a bad way."

"I'm sure you didn't.." Rayla replied. "But..what did you mean by that?"

"Well..first you have seen Lord Of The Rings right?"

Rayla scoffed. "Are you really asking me that? Who hasn't seen Lord Of The Rings?"

"Oh sorry..umm..well when I said you remind me of the elves in those movies, it..it was just the way they used their swords.."

"Meaning?"

"When you..showed me the videos of you doing sword training..it reminded me of the scenes in which the elves fought against the orcs. They moved their blades so swiftly and elegantly...and well...you reminded me of...that.."

Rayla froze, her cheeks suddenly burning and her face going red. "O-Oh..umm.."

"Look.." Callum quickly said when he saw Rayla's flushed face. "It..it was corny ok. Sorry, I shouldn't have-"

"Callum..that was actually really nice of you.." Rayla replied, her voice slightly a whisper.

"W-What?"

"No one has ever complimented me like that. What you said was kind of cringy, no joke there, but...it really meant a lot to me, what you said."

"Oh...umm.." Callum rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. "Y-Your welcome Rayla, but I guess I could have done it a different way. You know, instead of comparing you to a mythical being."

"True...but still, thank you for that."

They sat in an awkward silence for a bit, both teens not knowing what else to say next. However, Ethari soon stepped out from the kitchen and called out to Rayla.

"Rayla, it's time to go home."

Glancing up, she nodded. "Ok Ethari, I'm coming."

Getting up, Rayla made her way to the front door while Callum followed behind. As she slipped her shoes on, Ethari spoke to Callum.

"Thank you for having us over tonight. The food was amazing."

"You're welcome Ethari. Oh and if my step-dad decides to invite you guys over again, bring Runaan with you."

"Well...that may take a while of convincing, but we promise to bring him next time."

"I'm pretty sure it'll take months before he agrees," Rayla said. "So we may not come back here for a while."

"Now Rayla, let me be the judge of that."

As Callum opened the front door for the two, Rayla suddenly stopped.

"Ethari, you go on and start the car. I'll be out in a second."

"Alright."

After Ethari left, Rayla turned her attention back to Callum. The two stood there, not saying anything.

"Hey.." Callum eventually spoke. "Sorry once again for the whole elf thing.."

"No, don't apologise." Rayla assured him. "I told you that what you said meant a lot to me, even if you did compare me to some fantasy creature."

"Ok yeah...and I..uhh...hope my family wasn't much of an annoyance." Callum awkwardly chuckled as he rubbed his arm.

"What!? Callum you have such an amazing family. I already love your younger brother Ezran, and Harrow is quite a gentleman."

"Well then...I guess this is goodbye..." Callum didn't know what else to say. Rayla watched as Callum's eyes began to move elsewhere, looking around while he twiddled with his thumbs.

She stepped closer and wrapped her arms around him, pulling him into a hug. Callum went rigid for a second, but quickly returned the embrace, his arms wrapping tight around her middle. 

"I had fun tonight." Rayla whispered. "Thank you for the amazing dinner."

"I'm just glad that you enjoyed it." Callum whispered back, his stomach already beginning to do backflips at what was happening right now.

They stayed that way for a bit, before Rayla eventually parted from Callum, who could only smile at her. She felt herself smiling back as she continued to stare into his eyes. However, it was all soon interrupted when they both heard Ethari honk the horn, letting Rayla know that she needed to go home now.

"I'll see you later Callum.."

"Yeah, see you Monday Rayla.."

She turned around and ran out of the house and towards the car. As she opened the door, she looked back and gave one more wave to Callum. He waved back as Rayla got inside and Ethari drove off.

Once they were out of sight, Callum slowly closed the door and leaned back against it, his smile clear as day. However, as he continued to stare up at the ceiling, he began to feel something within him. He felt warmth in his stomach, and his head was foggy from the hug he had just shared with Rayla.

Normally he'd ignore them, but this was entirely different. He'd felt these same feelings when Rayla had gushed over his drawings, and when he watched her play against Neolandia High School.

_What was going on?_

And more importantly...

_What were these feelings?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for reading.
> 
> You guys can criticise me all you want, but TDP does give me a LOTR vibe and I'm leaving it like that. 
> 
> Teaser for the next chapter: Rayla gets exciting news from Gren


	12. Don't Be Nervous

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After their final game for the season, Rayla and her team are given news by Gren. However, it causes Rayla to become uneasy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait on this chapter. My writer's block hit me hard, but I hope you all still enjoy this.

Callum sat happily on the bleachers as he continued drawing in his sketchbook, the sounds of people walking by and talking not bothering him the slightest. It was almost the end of November, and tonight Katolis High was playing against Duren High School. It was currently halftime, and Katolis High was leading with a score of 1 to 0. 

He had gone with Claudia, who agreed to take him. However, what he didn't know was that Claudia was secretly smirking behind his back, as she believed that he wasn't going just to support their school, as he had put it to her. 

Rather, she believed that Callum was going because of something else...or _someone else_. She decided to keep it to herself, as she wasn't going to say anything that would cause him to get all defensive or annoyed. She sat next to him, scrolling through her phone, and every so often side-eyeing him to see what he was drawing. 

Despite his arm covering a bit of the sketch, Claudia could make out the face to be that of Rayla, whom she had seen constantly talking with Callum in the hallways during the span of both October and November.

Although he kept on telling her that she was his friend, Claudia felt that something else was happening. Given how comfortable he was being around her, along with drawing her and even going to these games, despite his hatred of crowds, just to potentially watch her play made her believe that he may have developed _something else_ for the soccer captain.

Either way, she smirked to herself as halftime ended and everyone returned to their seats. Katolis High ended up winning with a score of 2 to 1 against Duren High School. As Callum watched Rayla and the others leave the pitch after shaking hands, he suddenly saw Gren wave and motion for them to come around him. He continued to watch as he began to explain something to the girls.

Once Gren was done, Callum could see smiles appearing on every girls face, and they all began to walk in a group, chatting excitedly.

All but one.

Behind the group of girls stood Rayla, who seemed to be nervous and didn't look comfortable at all. Seeing this, Callum got up from where he was sitting, and was just about to make his way over to her when he felt Claudia grab his shoulder.

"Where are you going?" She asked. "The parking lot is on the left."

"Oh, um...you go and start the car up. I just...want to say goodbye to my friend Rayla, and also congratulate her on the win against Duren."

Hearing this, Claudia couldn't repress the smirk that formed on her lips, one that Callum didn't see as he looked over to where Rayla was. "Whatever you say Callum, just don't be long." 

Quickly nodding his head, Callum took off in the direction of where Rayla was walking to. After navigating through groups after groups of people leaving, he soon caught up with her.

"Rayla!" Callum called out, and he watched as she turned around. The minute she saw him, she gave a genuine, but weak smile. 

"Hey Callum..."

Even though her smile didn't look forced, Callum could still see that there was something wrong. 

"Everything ok?"

"Yeah...I'm fine..." She assured him, but the slight edge on her voice and fidgeting of her hands didn't convince Callum.

"Rayla...what's the matter?"

"I said I'm fine!" Her tone raised a little, but she instantly regretted doing that. Her shoulders fell slightly, and Callum gently put a hand on one of her arms.

"Rayla, you know you can tell me anything." His voice was calm and patient, and it seemed to sooth Rayla a bit. "Did it have something to do with what Gren said to you and the others?"

She was quiet for a bit before answering, "Yes." Her voice was barley above a whisper, but Callum could still make it out despite the racket of people talking behind them.

"What happened? What did he say that made you feel uneasy?"

She lowered her head to avoid his gaze, and when she answered, she continued speaking in a quiet voice. "Gren just told us that our soccer season is officially over now, but that the national state tournaments are coming up next week in December. Of course, being new to Katolis High, I asked him what that was about, and he told me that it is a large event that has 20 schools, including us, competing for the state championship title."

"Rayla, that's amazing!" Callum beamed, but Rayla still frowned. 

"Even though we may have had an undefeated record for the season, I feel like this will be entirely different now!" She continued, but her breathing suddenly picked up and her tone became more frantic. "I feel like these tournaments are going to really test how good I am, and if I mess up then that's it. I'll fail everybody! My team, my friends, Runaan, Ethari, Gren, everybody! I don't want that to happen! I jus-"

"Hey, hey!" Callum cut her off and took one of her hands in his. "Rayla, look at a me." He gently brushed his thumb over her knuckles, and she looked up, her violet eyes locking on with his green ones. "Take a deep breath." 

Closing her eyes, Rayla inhaled deeply. After doing it a couple more times, she opened her eyes to see Callum's face still full of concern.

"Rayla..." He began. "Why would you think such a thing?"

"I...I'm just really nervous Callum." Her eyes looked away from his. "This is my first time doing anything this big, and I'm nervous that if I slip up, then that's it a-"

"Hey, don't say that." He brushed his thumb over her knuckles once more. "I know that trying something new is always nerve-wracking, and this is no exception. However, don't let it break your focus completely."

"How can I do that?" Panic once again began to return in her voice.

"Just breath. Whenever I was in a bad situation or stressed, my mom would always tell me to just stop and breath. Let your mind relax, let your fears drown away, just keep calm..."

Taking a couple more deep breaths, Rayla soon found herself calming down a bit, but it still wasn't enough.

"I'm just afraid to think about the consequences of what would happen if-"

"Rayla, don't think like that." Callum's voice was firm, but gentle. "The past and the future do not matter. What matters is right now."

"Still..."

"I know that this entire thing will scare you at first, but if you just stop and breath then you will be fine. Don't think about the future, and don't let fear cloud your mind. All you need to do is focus on what is happening right now, such as calming down and knowing that you will be prepared to win the tournament no matter what."

Closing her eyes once more, Rayla took one more deep breath as her hand wrapped around his. She then felt the stress in her body leave and opened her eyes back up to see Callum smiling at her. She couldn't help but smile back, feeling happy at how he was able to comfort her with relative ease.

However, it also struck her as odd, as when she was in these types of situations, it would take a large amount of calming from both Runaan and Ethari until she was back to normal. However, with Callum, it seemed to be almost instant. It was as if the mere presence of him soothed her completely, and she didn't understand... _Why was that?_

He then gently wrapped his arms around her, taking her into a hug. She didn't even hesitate in hugging him back, burying her face deep into his shoulder. They stayed in the hug for quite a bit, but Callum was the first to pull away when he felt his phone buzz. Taking it out, he saw that it was from Claudia.

_[Claudia (10:27 pm)]: You know I don't have all day here Callum. If you aren't back in the next 2 minutes, I'm leaving you here._

Sighing, Callum tucked his phone back in. "I need to go, I can't keep Claudia waiting."

"It's ok Callum, I feel much better now, really." She gave him a soft smile, and that was enough to convince him as he nodded his head, smiling back in the process.

"I'll see you later."

"Yeah...bye Callum." She watched as he turned around and ran back into the crowd of people, her smile never leaving her face as she herself turned around and made her way inside Katolis High.

Quickly brushing past people and making his way to Claudia's car, Callum soon opened the door and jumped in.

"Sorry to keep you waiting." He closed the door and fastened his seatbelt. "I..uh..did kind of get into a conversation with Rayla."

"I thought you were only going to say goodbye and congratulate her?" Claudia asked, smirking as she pulled out from the parking lot.

"I was, but then I asked her why Gren had called them to huddle."

"It was for the national state tournaments, wasn't it?"

"Yes that's righ- wait what?" Callum looked at her, slightly surprised. "How did you know?"

Claudia chuckled. "Callum, didn't you forget that I'm a sophomore? Last year I went to watch the tournaments with Ava."

"Oh...right.." Callum looked away, slightly embarrassed that he had forgotten Claudia being older. "Hey..uh..Claudia? Can you tell me a little bit about the national state tournaments?"

"Didn't Rayla tell you anything about them?"

"She only said that it was a large event that was happening next week, which is the start of December. She also mentioned that Katolis High, along with 19 other schools, will be competing in it."

"All of that is true Callum. The state tournaments are hosted every year at the end of soccer season, and Katolis is one of the 20 schools that face off to try and win the state championship title."

"She told me this also and it sounds like one hell of a competitive event."

"Oh believe me Callum, _it is."_ Claudia replied as she continued explaining, "As I mentioned earlier, I did go last year with Ava to watch our school compete. As you know, temperatures can drop to freezing rates during December, so these tournaments are held at Grainger Sports Centre, which isn't that far from here. They are also known for having the largest indoor soccer complex."

"Whoa, really?"

"Yup, they have two indoor soccer fields that are built under large inflatable domes. Keeps the soccer players warm and snug as opposed to being outside in the cold."

"That's actually...cool."

Claudia smiled at him as she continued, "Last year our school made it as far as to the semi-finals, but we didn't win that game."

"Oh..." Callum's smile dropped a bit.

"Luckily, we managed to secure the third place position, so that was better than nothing." They were now on Callum's driveway.

"Well, maybe this year it may be different." Callum said, his smile forming again. "Maybe this year, we may win first place. Anyhow, thanks for the ride Claudia, I'll see you later."

As he gathered his things and began to get out, Claudia's voice suddenly stopped him.

"Callum...even if we did make it to the final...I don't think we would have won..."

That caused Callum to freeze. He turned his head to look back at Claudia, who was frowning slightly and looking away.

"What..what do you mean by that?" Callum asked as he closed the door and sat back in his seat, eyes focused on Claudia as she inhaled.

"I forgot to mention this, but I was at the awards ceremony to watch our team be awarded bronze medals for coming in third place."

"And?"

"Well...when the team that was standing on the first place podium were being given gold medals, the announcer started saying things about them..."

Callum was now intrigued. "What kind of things exactly?"

"He said how it was their 11th consecutive year of winning gold." 

Callum froze, his eyes suddenly going wide and his mouth falling slightly agape.

"However, it wasn't just him saying these things, as people around me started talking about them also..." Claudia continued. "...They said how they have been the reigning champions of the conference tournament. How their team is composed of only the best of the best. How they absolutely crush all the other teams that play against them..."

The car was now silent, but Claudia soon muttered something else, "From what I've heard at our school, we've never gotten first in the tournament, let alone even get to play in the finals...yet even if we did...I don't know if we would even beat _them_." 

Callum was still quiet, but now his curiosity was getting the better of him. 

"Claudia...did the announcer even mention the school's name when medals were being given out?"

There was silence, before Callum saw Claudia nod her head. "Yes, he did." She paused briefly before answering, "... _Lux Aurea Academy_..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for reading.
> 
> Teaser for the next chapter: Rayla protects Callum.


	13. I've Got Your Back

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A day before the tournaments, Rayla and Callum have an unlikely encounter.

"Lux Aurea Academy?"

"Yeah, Claudia told me everything about them when she took me home that night."

Both teens walked down the sidewalk, having just exited the library. It was the last day of November, and tomorrow the tournaments would officially begin. 

"What things did Claudia say exactly?"

Callum was hesitant on answering that, as he knew that Rayla was already under stress due to what was happening tomorrow. Saying that Lux Aurea Academy were the undefeated champions of the tournaments would possibly demoralise her, and he didn't want that.

"Hello, Callum?" Rayla waved her hand in his face, snapping him out of thought. "What did Claudia say about them?" 

"Well...she did tell me that they have won gold a lot of times in the tournaments."

"Oh...anything else?"

"Um...she also may have said something about them being the..." His voice was low now, but it was still enough for Rayla to hear him. "... _reigning champions of the tournaments."_

There was silence as the pair continued walking, but Rayla soon broke it.

"Reigning champions? Did she say how long?"

"For eleven years..."

"Oh..."

Callum could see the uneasiness flashing across her face, and it made him feel guilty. Of course he should have never mentioned Lux Aurea Academy in the first place. It was already bad enough that Rayla was nervous for tomorrow, but this only made things worse.

"Do you believe Claudia?" Rayla suddenly asked. "About what she said on Lux Aurea Academy being the number one team in the tournaments for eleven years?"

"Well, at first I didn't believe her...but the way she frowned and spoke about their winning streak made me wonder if everything she said really was true..."

"It is true!" a voice snarled behind them. Turning around, Callum and Rayla were greeted to the sight of two people standing behind them, one boy and one girl.

The boy was tall, easily over 6 feet, and he had on an orange jacket, blue jeans and brown shoes. His blonde hair was combed neatly to the side, and his face was twisted into what appeared to be a scowl, his piercing blue eyes glaring at the teens. However, the most prominent feature about him was the scar on his right eye, which seemed to extend from his forehead all the way to his cheek. 

The girl, on the other hand, looked to be around Rayla's height and she had on a yellow jacket along with black jeans and boots. Her black hair fell just to her shoulders and her red eyes seemed to regard Callum and Rayla with hostility. 

"Everything you said about Lux Aurea is true." The boy spoke again, his voice low.

"I'm sorry, but who are you two?" Callum asked.

The pair were silent for a bit, but they soon spoke.

"Regem. Senior at Lux Aurea Academy." The boy stated plainly.

The girl then took a few steps forward. "Sabah. Sophomore and captain of the Lux Aurea girls soccer team."

Now Callum froze. It was already bad enough that he had to tell Rayla about Lux Aurea Academy, but now meeting people from the school? This day couldn't get any better.

"What? You have nothing to say in response?" Sabah spoke, her eyes narrowing.

"O-Oh...uh.."

"Rayla. Freshman and captain of the Katolis High girls soccer team." Rayla suddenly spoke.

That was when Callum finally found his voice and spoke also. "And I'm Callum, a freshman of Katolis High."

However, Sabah and Regem seemed to ignore him, their eyes focused on Rayla.

"Katolis High huh?" Regem cocked his head slightly. "Oh yeah, now I remember..."

"Remember?" Rayla raised a brow.

"Your school got third place last year, and frankly, I am surprised you guys even made it that far."

"What do you mean by that?"

"From what I've heard, Katolis High is one of those schools that always loses on the first or second days of state tournaments. They never make it past the quarter finals...yet last year, you guys managed to pull off securing third place."

"And?"

"Oh it's nothing, just surprising to us that all." Sabah replied. "Besides, even if Katolis High did make it to the finals, there's no way you guys would even manage to win it, cause that meant facing us."

"And trust us, it would be a crushing defeat..." Regem added on.

"And why's that?" Rayla suddenly asked, folding her arms.

"Because we have the strongest team out of all the other schools in the tournaments." Sabah stated proudly, the arrogance clear in her voice. "Other teams would not stand a chance against us."

"Well maybe one year that may change." Callum replied.

"Oh please, we've held the number one spot for eleven years." Sabah smiled smugly.

"And this year will be our twelfth time." Regem continued. "What chance would you guys have?"

"Well maybe it will change this year." Rayla said, growing annoyed at the arrogance both Regem and Sabah were displaying. "Maybe this year Lux Aurea Academy might no-"

"Quiet you." Regem suddenly cut Rayla off sharply, causing her to freeze mid-sentence.

"Wh-Wha-"

"I said quiet!" Now he words dripped with venom. "You really believe that you could make it to the finals and defeat us?"

Rayla went silent now as Regem continued, "Lux Aurea Academy has been the dominating force in the tournaments for eleven years. Our team is made from only the best of the best, and any other school that faces us would be beaten instantly."

"Last year..." Sabah suddenly spoke up. "We defeated the opposing school in the finals with a score of four to zero. All the other schools that faced us before hand in the quarter-finals and semi-finals: crushed with relative ease."

Seeing both Callum and Rayla's stunned expressions caused Regem to smirk as he carried on. "And then here's Katolis High, who only made it to the semi's. Don't you see? We've never even seen you guys in the finals once!" Now he began to concentrate on Rayla. "Being the captain of a soccer team that can't even survive the first few days in the tournaments is a joke _._ Do you hear me! _A joke!!"_

Callum couldn't even say anything in response to both Sabah and Regem. But he then turned to look at Rayla, who was still stunned.

"You're nothing, just like the others." Regem's words cut into Rayla hard, and Callum could see tears starting to form at the corner of her eyes. "You'll never win the tournaments." But what he said next was almost like a fatal blow to Rayla. "You and your team are _failures..."_

Everything went dead silent suddenly, save for the sounds of sniffling coming from Rayla. Callum looked at her, and saw as she began to wipe her eyes. All of a sudden, a feeling of sadness washed over him seeing her like this, but it was soon replaced by utter fury as he turned to look back at Regem, who was now smiling almost sadistically alongside Sabah.

"Aww, what's the matter princess?" Regem mocked heartlessly. "You gonna cryyy?"

That was it. Callum finally had enough.

"Shut up!" He yelled angrily as he took a few steps forward towards Regem, surprising Rayla at his sudden outburst. The smile on Regem's face suddenly dropped, and he looked almost surprised as his eyes locked onto Callum.

"What did you just say?" He hissed. 

"I said shut up! Both of you! You will _not_ talk to her like that!" His fists now clenched and his eyes narrowed.

Not saying anything, Regem advanced towards Callum until he was standing a few feet from him. However, Callum didn't back down, slanting his head up a bit to look Regem dead in the eyes.

"Say that one more time..." His voice was now low and threatening, but Callum didn't budge.

"You do not speak to her like that." Callum said, his voice full of fury. "Get out of here! You and Sabah are just a pair of pompous jerks that are arrogant beyond belief! So take your friend and leave...now..."

Seeing Callum stand his ground against Regem caused Rayla to smile. Although she still felt hurt by how harsh Regem had slammed her with his insults, watching Callum stand up for her caused her mind to instantly forget it. She only hoped that Regem would get the message and leave with Sabah.

What happened next, however, shocked Rayla beyond belief...

Regem suddenly grabbed Callum by the throat, pulling him towards him with great force. Callum let out a strangled gasp as he felt his hand close around him a little tighter. 

"You don't tell me what to do, boy." He whispered, before shoving him backwards.

Rayla stood horrified, watching as Callum fell to the ground with a sharp _thud,_ letting out pained grunt as he held his arm. However, that also caused something to snap within her, and her shock was replaced by sheer anger. Her fists clenched and her teeth gritted.

"I think he needs to be taught some manners." Sabah smirked wickedly. Regem silently nodded and advanced towards Callum, his hand raised, ready to strike him again. However, just before he could reach him, Rayla quickly stepped in, standing between him and Callum.

"Wha-hey!!" She grabbed his hand. "What do you think yo-"

Before he could finish, Rayla flipped him onto the ground, both her hands latching onto his arm. At that moment, she mentally thanked Runaan for teaching her martial arts. She then began to twist his arm slightly, and Regem's scowl was replaced by one of pain and mild fear.

"Ow!!" He cried out as he tried to break free, but Rayla held him firmly in place. 

"Hey! Get off of him!" Sabah's voice called to them, but as she approached Rayla, she shot her a look that caused her to stop dead in her tracks. 

"Come closer or do anything else, and you can watch me dislocate your friend's shoulder." Her voice was cold, something that even caused the hairs on Callum's skin to stand up.

Sabah complied, her angered expression dropping into one of fear given that Rayla sounded like she meant business. Seeing that she obeyed, Rayla then turned to Regem, lowering her head until her mouth was inches away from his ear.

"Don't you dare touch him." Rayla growled. "If you even go near Callum again...I'll break every bone in your body. You won't even be able crawl back home."

Her grip tightened around his arm, and Regem let out a whimper. "O-Ok...just-ah...just let go of me!"

"Maybe after I teach you a _lesson_." She began to twist his arm even more, but she suddenly felt Callum put a hand on her shoulder.

"Rayla, don't...he's not worth it."

She turned to look up at Callum, who was silently pleading at her to let him go. She then turned her head back to Regem, who was now squirming under her intense hold. Although a huge part of her brain told her not to let go, she eventually sighed and released her grip. Immediately, Regem stumbled to get back up and dashed over to Sabah, his hand grasping his shoulder as he cursed angrily.

"Regem...let's go." Sabah shot one more withering look at the pair. "Before that freak does anything else. Besides, they won't survive the first day tomorrow."

Rayla's eyes narrowed and she took a step forward, but Callum gently grabbed her arm. As Sabah turned around and began to walk away, Regem followed, but soon stopped and turned back to look at the two teens.

"Why did you bother protecting him?"

"What?" Rayla was startled at what he had just asked.

"I said, why did you bother protecting _him?"_ He then pointed at Callum. "He's nothing but a wimp." Now the venom returned in his voice. "A weak, pathetic, filthy and stupid excuse for a person."

Hearing those things come out of his mouth made Rayla furious. She took a few more steps forward, fists clenched, and Regem backed up almost instantly.

"There's only one wimp here, and that's _you."_ Rayla spat back. "And for the record, Callum is nothing like what you just said."

"Oh really? Then what is he to you?"

"He's noble and true." Her voice was now filled with pride and passion. "And smart, and kind, and brave, and he's...my friend." She then turned back and smiled at him. "My _best friend."_

Callum's eyes softened and he smiled at Rayla. It warmed his heart, seeing how she really thought of him. He felt so happy to have her as his friend, but seeing that she saw him as her best friend, it only made his smile widen more.

Rayla's smile soon dropped when she turned away from Callum and stared back at Regem. "Now get lost, and don't even think about showing your face to us again. The same also applies to your friend Sabah."

Regem wanted to say something else, but instead he kept his mouth shut and let out a huff before turning around, leaving the two alone. Once he and Sabah were out of sight, Callum approached Rayla.

"Hey, you ok?"

"Yes, I'm fine." She then looked at Callum with concern. "Are _you_ ok?"

"Yeah, I'm ok."

"Are you sure?"

"Trust me Rayla, he didn't hurt me that badly." He rubbed the side of his arm. "My arm is a little sore, but it's nothing serious, believe me."

"I swear to god, if I ever see him again, I'll use my sword to ch-"

"Rayla..." Callum brought a hand to her arm. "It's not worth it, he's gone. And I'm pretty sure him and Sabah got the message of leaving us alone." He then felt dejected when he saw that her eyes were still slightly red. "I'm so sorry he said those things to you Rayla..."

"It's ok..." She rubbed her nose. "It's not your fault, he's just a jerk..."

"Absolutely." He then placed both his hands on her shoulders. "What he said doesn't mean anything. You worked so hard to get to where you are now." His voice then became firm. "I don't care what Regem or Sabah say or think. I know that this year will be different. This year: Katolis High will win the tournament, and put Lux Aurea Academy in their place."

Despite the stinging of Regem's words still lingering in her mind, hearing Callum's voice caused Rayla to perk up. "You're right. I'm not going to let some big, stuck up jerk get in the way of what I need to do. Come tomorrow, and the days after that, I'm going to give it my _everything."_

The determination in her voice made Callum smile as he pulled her into a hug. "That's the spirit Rayla. I know that you and your teammates will pull through." 

When they separated, Rayla smiled warmly at him. "Thank you Callum. It's nice knowing that you have my back through all this."

"I know you'd do the same for me Rayla." Callum smiled back. 

"You're right Callum." Rayla replied, staring into his green eyes. "It's true..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for reading.
> 
> Incase anyone is wondering, Sabah is the Sunfire elf that helps up Marcos at the end of the final battle in season 3. 
> 
> Teaser for the next chapter: Callum realises...


	14. The Feelings I Have

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After helping Rayla once more at the library, Callum makes a promise to her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a chapter I've been dying to write, hope you all enjoy!

"Alright Callum, I need to get going." Rayla said as she closed her textbook and looked at her phone. "Runaan needs me home now."

"Ok, do you have any last minute questions on what we just went over?"

"No, I'm fine" She replied as she grabbed her coat and backpack. Callum did the same, putting his sketchbook away while he slid his coat on and slung his backpack over his shoulder.

Soon both teens exited the study room and out of the library, walking out into the cold winter night as they trotted down the sidewalk. The first week of December was almost over, and for every day of the week, many games were held at the indoor soccer fields at Grainger Sports Centre.

During that time, Callum had gone to every single Katolis High match with Claudia. He'd watched as their school came out victorious at every game, and when they made it to the quarterfinals, Rayla led the team to winning that match. It was the semi-finals that made Callum nervous, as Claudia had told this was the farthest Katolis High had ever gotten to.

On that day, Rayla and her teammates gave it everything they had, and they managed to win, defeating the opposing school by a score of 3 to 2 while securing a spot in the finals.

And of course, he'd heard that Lux Aurea Academy had secured their spot in the finals also, so tomorrow night Rayla and her team would be taking them on for the championship title. 

As the two neared the spot where they would part ways, Callum suddenly noticed that Rayla seemed a little...off. Her head was down and she seemed to be fidgeting with her hands. 

"You ok?" He put a hand on her shoulder, causing her to turn and look at him. He could now see the uncertainty flashing in her eyes.

"I'm fine...I'm just...a little nervous that's all..."

"Why?"

"It's just...we've come so far Callum. After we won our game at the semi-finals, news about Katolis High playing in the finals for the first time spread rapidly throughout the school. Everyone was talking about it."

"And?"

"Well, it's all coming down this. Tomorrow, we'll be taking on Lux Aurea Academy, and I know that so many students from Katolis High are going to be there to watch us..." She then looked away from Callum. "I know I should be excited and determined to beat them, but what if it doesn't happen..."

"Rayla..."

"I know, I know...I shouldn't be thinking like that. I know I said I wouldn't let Regem or Sabah get in the way of us winning the tournament, but..." She then faltered. "Maybe it's nothing...I guess I'm-"

"Hey." Callum took her hands in his. "I understand that you are feeling a little nervous because tomorrow is the championship final, and that everything is coming down to that."

She silently nodded her head.

"But I know that you guys will win." 

"You do?" She looked at him almost surprised. 

"Rayla, I don't care what Regem and Sabah say. I really don't care what anyone says about Lux Aurea Academy. They are just another school that has a good team of players, but so do you guys." 

"What?"

"Remember what Sabah said when we first met her and Regem?"

"She said that we wouldn't survive the first day of the tournaments..."

"Exactly, but now look where you guys are. You won all of your matches, and even made it through the semi-finals." His voice became more confident. "And I know that tomorrow, you are going to put Sabah and her team to shame. Tomorrow, their perfect record will be _broken_."

Although she still felt slightly nervous for the final game, Callum's voice was enough to help her regain her confidence.

"You're right Callum, I shouldn't be nervous. I know that we can do it. We _will_ win." 

"That's right Rayla, I know you will." He then smiled at her. "And I will be there to support you all the way, just like all the previous games."

"Really?" She watched as he nodded his head.

"I _promise_ _."_

The moment Callum said those words, he saw as Rayla's eyes softened and her lips quirked into a smile.

"Thank you..." She whispered. “Knowing that you’ll be there no matter what. Just...thank you so much Callum.” 

She then stepped closer to him, and Callum was already preparing to receive a potential hug from her.

However, what happened next made Callum freeze and his heart almost stop.

Instead of hugging him, Rayla leaned in, pressing her lips against his cheek. It was only for a few seconds, but it almost felt like a lifetime to Callum. When she pulled back, her lips were still curved into a warm smile, but Callum was still in a state of shock over what had just happened. 

"See you tomorrow Callum."

She then turned around and walked down the sidewalk, not noticing that Callum continued to look at her. He watched as she walked further away, until she turned the corner and disappeared. However, he remained frozen, his mouth still slightly agape and his hand moving up to feel the spot where her lips had made contact with his skin. He could still feel the warmth of it, as opposed to the cold winds that was slamming against his face.

He didn't remember what happened next, but what he did remember was suddenly picking his feet up and walking down the sidewalk. His mind was still in a blur, but he soon found himself back at his house, unlocking the front door and swinging it open. Knowing that he arrived pretty late, he suspected that Harrow and Ezran were already asleep, so he quietly walked up the stairs and into his room. Once inside, he shut the door, shrugged off his backpack, and flopped down on the bed, not bothering to change into his pyjamas.

As he stared up at the ceiling, his hand once again came up to feel the spot on his cheek where Rayla had kissed him. No one had ever done that before, not even Claudia. He could feel his stomach already heating up with warmth, and his head getting all fuzzy again. He knew that these feelings had something to do with Rayla, as he began to feel them more for her after she had come over for dinner back in November.

But he still couldn't understand what these feelings even were.

After sometime, he got up and reached into his backpack, pulling out his sketchbook. Turning on his bedside lamp, he opened it up and began to flip through it. The first pages contained simple drawings of landscapes, his family, and his friends. However, when he got to the first drawing he had ever done of Rayla back in September, that's when he noticed something.

All of the pages after that were filled with drawings of Rayla, and Rayla only.

Now he could feel the feelings eating away at him more frequently as he examined each drawing he had done of her.

Why did he take such a sudden liking on wanting to draw Rayla only?

Sure, he did find her fun to draw, but the amount of detail that he put into every single sketch he had done of her made him think differently. Whenever he'd draw Harrow, Ezran, Claudia, Soren or anything else, he'd make them good, but he wouldn't stress out about wanting to capture every detail precisely.

But with Rayla, it was like he wanted to capture every single detail of her on paper, and make it the best he could be. 

He continued turning pages, but when he turned to one of his latest drawings of her, Callum saw that below the sketch were a few words that he had written out. This struck him as odd, as he didn't recall ever doing this. His eyes narrowed as he used the light from his bedside lamp to help him make out what was written.

_Smart..._

_Fast..._

But it was the last word that caught his attention the most.

_Beautiful..._

Although he was surprised by this, he couldn't deny that all of these were true for Rayla.

She was smart. Even though she needed Callum's help in her chemistry class, the way she understood everything so easily under his guidance made him see just how smart she really was.

And fast. She had shown this when she played during the soccer games. Her ability to outrun, catchup, and even evade opponents made her a force to be reckoned with on the fields. But she was just really fast in general.

And beautiful. Gods Rayla was so beautiful.

He had said this before, both mentally and to his brother Ezran, but her stunning lilac eyes, silky white hair, and heart warming smile easily made her one of the prettiest people Callum had ever met in his life.

Now the feelings were getting even stronger, and it was starting to drive Callum a little crazy.

Why did he admire Rayla so much? 

Sure he had felt something for Claudia when he was hopelessly crushing on her from childhood, but this was completely different. It was like he felt something stronger for Rayla, and his mind seemed to be screaming at him, trying to tell him what it was. He flipped faster now through the book, but when he came to the most recent drawing he had done of her, he stopped.

The drawing depicted Rayla, standing tall and proud while smiling. One of her hands held a soccer ball, and the other a sword, one that he had seen her use when she showed him her sword training video.

But for Callum, he could only pay attention to the little caption that was written below.

_The most amazing person I have ever met._

And at that very moment, it suddenly clicked in his mind. The constant drawings of Rayla, his admiration for her, and the feelings he had- it all made sense now.

"I...I love her..." The words came out of his mouth as his eyes widened at his realisation. "I'm...I'm in _love_ with Rayla..."

Although the sudden realisation hit him hard like a ton of bricks, he also felt like a huge weight had been lifted of his shoulders. Months of not knowing the feelings that stirred inside of him, finally solved at his understanding of what was going on.

And even though he began to recall the times of saying how she was way out of his league, it all didn't matter anymore.

_He was in love with Rayla._

Silently, Callum put his sketchbook inside his backpack and fell back on the bed. His mind was still scrambling to grasp his new found discovery, but he was also wondering on what he was going to do now.

He knew that Rayla saw him as her best friend, so he knew that she may have not felt the same way for him.

Yet, there was no hiding the fact of his newfound feelings for her, and although his mind began to plant seeds of doubt about her not feeling the same way for him, one thing was for sure.

He'd promised to be there to support her no matter what, and come tomorrow evening, he'd fulfil that promise.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :))
> 
> Teaser for the next chapter: Preparations for the final game.


	15. I'll Stand By Your Side

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> On the night of the final game, everyone prepares for it.

"Rayla, are you ready?" Ethari's voice called from downstairs. "We need to leave soon."

"Coming Ethari! Just give me a second!" Rayla quickly flung her cleats into her gym bag before zipping it up. Today was the big day, as the championship game as tonight, and Rayla was certain to give it her everything. Although she felt a hint of nervousness gnawing at her due to how important this game would be, she couldn't let it get in the way of what she had to do.

Quickly slipping her coat on, she rushed out of her room and down the stairs, where Ethari was already waiting by the front door. 

"Rayla." She stopped in her tracks and turned around to see Runaan appearing from his study, phone in one hand. "Good luck tonight, you got this."

"Thanks Runaan." She hugged him tightly. "I know you can't come because of work, but I promise to return home with a gold medal."

"You'd better, because I plan to make a victory dinner for you and Ethari when you guys get back, so don't disappoint me." Despite Runaan's words, there was a playful edge to his tone, and it caused Rayla to laugh a little as she buried her face into his shoulder.

"Hey, I hate to break up this moment, but we need to leave right now." Ethari spoke up as he glanced at this watch. 

"Oh right, right!" Rayla quickly parted from Runaan and followed Ethari.

"Bye Rayla!" She heard Runaan's voice call out behind her.

"Bye!"

Quickly handing her gym bag over to Ethari, Rayla hopped into the passengers seat. Soon, they were out of their neighbourhood and on the highway towards Grainger Sports Centre. Rayla could already feel the nervousness bubbling within her once again as they neared their destination, but she quickly brushed it off.

She was more than determined to win tonights game.

No matter what.

\--------- 

_[Claudia (6:27 pm)]: Hey Callum, I've just picked up Ava. I'll be at your place in 10 minutes._

_[(Callum (6:28 pm)]: Alright Claudia, see you then._

Tossing his phone onto his bed, Callum quickly put his coat on and wrapped his red scarf around him. He could already feel his excitment for tonight building up within him as he grabbed his sketchbook and shoved into his satchel. He raced out of his room and down to the front door, waiting there for Claudia to arrive.

"Hey Callum." He turned around to see Harrow sitting on the couch in the living room, watching TV. "Are you going now?"

"Yeah, Claudia will be here soon to pick me up."

Harrow paused his channel. "Well have fun, and please give Rayla my best wishes for her game tonight."

"Thanks." Callum smiled. "I promise to tell her that."

He suddenly felt his phone ding and he looked at it.

_[Claudia (6:39 pm)]: Come out, I'm here now._

"Well I got to go now. Bye!"

"Bye Callum." Harrow waved at him. "Will you need me to come pick you up?"

"No, it's fine." Callum quickly said as he opened the front door. "Claudia will drive me back!"

Shutting the door behind him, Callum saw Claudia's car pulled up in the driveway. Quickly running, he opened the door to the backseats and jumped in as Claudia began to pull out.

"Ready for tonight?" Claudia asked.

"Absolutely!" Callum replied rather quickly, not being able to contain the excitement within him any longer as he bounced in his seat.

"My, my, someone is certainly excited." He saw as Ava turned to look at him, smiling. 

"Shouldn't I be?" 

"Well..."

"Oh come on! This is the first time Katolis High has ever made it to the finals. We're practically making history here!"

"That's true..." But Ava now sounded a little uncertain. "But we're facing Lux Aurea Academy..."

"So?"

"They've held the number one spot for many years, and they have a strong reputation of being the best team out of everyone else."

"And? Our school managed to win the semi-finals, and Claudia told me that we've never gotten further than that."

"Fair..."

"So then we still have a chance. I don't care what anyone says about Lux Aurea Academy, because I'm supporting our school all the way...and I know you guys would do the same."

"He's right Ava." Claudia said as they got onto the highway. "Even though Lux Aurea Academy has a strong winning reputation, we still need to support our school all the way, no matter what."

"See." She looked through the mirror to see Callum smiling at her. "Have some optimism like me and Claudia."

"Ok then..." Despite Ava still looking concerned, she smiled at both Callum and Claudia as everyone was silent then, save for the occasion small talk made here and there by the group.

Soon, Callum could see the large soccer domes coming into view as they neared Grainger Sports Centre. The place was already heavily crowded as tons of people walked into one of the soccer domes. Claudia managed to find a parking spot near the entrance, and the group soon walked along with the massive crowd inside.

Given that he had been here numerous times before for previous games, he had grown accustomed to the massive area inside of the dome, but he wouldn't forget the first time he had seen it, in which his mind was simply blown away with awe.

The inside was completely illuminated with bright lights while the roof of the dome stood at an impressive height. There were bleachers on both sides, but the ones on the left side had an opening in the middle that had doors, which revealed a hallway that connected the soccer dome to the main building of the sports centre.

Callum continued to watch as tons of people climbed over one another to grab a seat, but he then felt Claudia grab his hand, dragging both him and Ava to some spots that were open on the front-most row of bleachers. As she guided them, the announcer suddenly spoke, his voice echoing throughout the entire dome. 

_"Welcome, everyone, to Grainger Sports Centre! Tonight is the championship final, and Katolis High will be playing Lux Aurea Academy for the state title! The game shall commence in five more minutes. Until then, please grab a seat._

Once the trio sat down, Callum began to look around the dome, watching as more people pooled in and clambered over the bleachers that were on the other side. As he did this, he suddenly spotted Regem, sitting with a bunch of other people whom Callum assumed to be his friends. At once, he scowled angrily, mentally cursing at him as he watched him smiling and talking.

"You ok?" He turned to see Claudia looking at him, eyebrows raised. "Why are you angry?"

"I'm fine." Callum replied curtly before looking away from her.

He then spotted Ethari, who was sitting on the top-most row, eyes currently glued to his phone. Callum tried to wave at him, but he seemed to not notice him. Given that there were thousands of people already sitting down and moving around, Callum knew that Ethari wouldn't be able to see him no matter what. 

He soon returned his attention to scanning the pitch, wanting to see where Rayla and her team were. However, he couldn't see anyone...

Until...

"There!" Claudia pointed to the side entrance, and he saw as Rayla and her teammates entered through the doors with Gren at their side. 

_"And it looks like Katolis High has just entered the pitch! Let's all give a warm welcome to them!"_

Immediately, Callum stood up and began to clap, while he felt others behind him do the same thing. Of course, he noticed Regem shaking his head and booing at them, much to his anger. However, he chose to ignore it as his eyes landed on Rayla, who's white hair was kept up in a high ponytail and her red armband signalling her position as the captain.

Callum then watched as Rayla began to look around almost desperately, as if she was trying to find someone. The moment her eyes landed on him, he saw as she immediately smiled and waved at him, her lilac eyes sparkling with sheer happiness. Callum felt his own lips tugging into a smile as he waved back, the feeling of warmth already flooding inside of him.

Ever since he had realised his true feelings for Rayla, his mind could only think of her. Even the smallest thought about her was enough to cause his heart to swell up with immeasurable happiness while his head would go fuzzy. He knew that he couldn't suppress what he truly felt for her, and he signed inwardly to himself.

He really wanted to just tell Rayla his feelings for her, but his mind also planted doubts in his head. Doubts that told him that she wouldn't feel the same way about him despite the fact that they had grown really close during the months. Now he was caught between a rock in a hard place, not knowing if he should keep quiet, or just tell her.

 _What am I going to do?_ Callum thought to himself as he continued to watch Rayla talk with her other teammates. However, he soon felt a jab on his shoulder and turned his head to see Claudia pointing at the entrance, eyes slightly wide.

Looking, Callum soon frowned when he saw the team of Lux Aurea Academy walking through the doors. Sabah was in-front, smiling proudly while the others trailed behind her.

_"And here they are folks! Reigning champions Lux Aurea Academy has just entered the pitch! Let's give a huge welcome to them!_

Despite many people standing up and clapping for them, Regem included, Callum remained seated, silently booing as he watched Sabah and her team walk across the pitch, waving to people on both sides. Behind them, Callum saw a man following them, and he assumed that he was the coach given that he had a clipboard in his hand. He had on a midnight blue hoodie, jeans and looked to be elderly as his long hair seemed to be greying. He also appeared to be sporting a name tag, and Callum squinted his eyes a bit more to get a clearer view of the name written on it.

_'Aaravos'_

"Huh...weird name..." Callum muttered to himself as he watched Lux Aurea Academy take their positions on the field while the three referees appeared, each one taking their respective position. Soon, everyone was ready as the referee in the middle tossed the coin. When it landed, he pointed to Rayla, letting him know that they would be deciding where to shoot. Once that matter was resolved, the ref then grabbed his whistle, letting Callum know that the game was about to begin.

His eyes were locked onto Rayla, who was currently scowling at Sabah as she simply grinned at her. The chanting seemed to die down now, as everyone focused on the referee at the centre, who was saying a few more things to both Rayla and Sabah before holding his whistle to his mouth. 

The moment the loud, piercing sound of the whistle being blown emanated across the entire soccer dome, Rayla and her team clashed with Sabah's as the soccer ball began to fly around. 

The final game was now officially underway...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for reading.
> 
> Teaser for the next chapter: The battle for the state title.


	16. Our Time to Shine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rayla and her team battle Lux Aurea Academy for the state title.

Callum couldn't tear his eyes away from the sight before him. He felt that if he even blinked, he would miss something really important. Katolis High and Lux Aurea Academy were currently battling for control over the soccer ball, wanting so desperately to score.

Out of all the tournament matches he had gone to, nothing, not even the semi-finals, would compare to the intensity of this. It was like a grand final battle, and only one team would be leaving victorious.

At one point, Rayla managed to get the ball under her control and made a dash for the goal, only to be intercepted by an opposing player, who then kicked it over to Sabah. She then sprinted towards the goal, dribbling the ball with extreme skill to avoid Rayla and her team. Smiling to herself, she quickly found herself approaching the goal, and Callum could feel nervousness tearing away at his insides as he silently prayed that the goalie would stop her. 

However, when Sabah was close enough, she took her foot all the way back and gave the soccer ball a mighty kick. It flew right over the goalie's head and slammed into the net. That was accompanied Callum seeing Regem, and many other people on the bleachers across from him standing up, cheering loudly. 

_"And it looks like Lux Aurea Academy takes the lead tonight with the first goal, scored by number 3 Sabah Ember!"_

"Dang it..." Callum muttered to himself as he watched the referee carry the soccer ball back into the centre, all while watching Sabah gloat over her goal while Rayla scowled at her from a distance.

Soon the game resumed and Rayla managed to secure the ball under her control as she made a break for the opposing team's goal, her teammates running at her sides. However, just when Callum believed that she was going to score, Sabah came from her side and intercepted her, taking the ball away while Rayla stumbled to turn around. Sabah then evaded the other Katolis High players and passed it to one of her teammates that was in front of her.

Callum could feel the anxiety rising up within him again as he watched the girl break through the last line of Katolis High's defence and dribble the ball towards the goal. He saw as the goalie came out to try and stop her, but the girl easily evaded her and tapped the ball in. He watched in disbelief as it rolled into the goal, signalling another point for Lux Aurea Academy.

_"And it looks like Lux Aurea's number 5 Anita Wilson has made the score 2 to 0 for Lux Aurea Academy, and we still have 15 minutes left in the first half!"_

Callum shook his head, frowining as he watched Sabah and the others surround the girl that had just scored. Rayla and her teammates all looked visibly upset as Callum watched Sabah shoot Rayla another smug look as they began to reposition themselves. He even looked across to see Regem laughing while pointing at Rayla, whispering things to his friends.

Oh how he wanted to go over there and wipe that smile off Regem's face, but he remained seated, still keeping his hopes high for Rayla.

"I knew this was going to happen..." Callum turned to see Ava shaking her head. "They're just too good..."

"Ava, we still need to support our school..no matter what..." Claudia chided her, but Callum could make out the slight defeat in her voice.

"What's the point...they've already score 2 goals, and it's not even the second half..."

"Well, that's true bu-"

Callum chose to ignore what both girls were saying, and instead focused on the game recommencing. For the remainder of the first half, Rayla and her teammates tried their best to score, but Sabah and the others kept stopping them. Soon enough, the referee blew his whistle and waved his arms, signalling that it was halftime now.

_"And it seems that we've just hit halftime folks! A short break will commence, but we will be back soon with the second half!"_

As the announcer said this, Callum watched as Gren led Rayla and her team out through the door. Aaravos followed behind with Lux Aurea Academy, and soon the pitch was empty, but people remained in their seats.

Sighing to himself, Callum pulled out his sketchbook. Opening it up to a fresh page, he grabbed his pencil and began to doodle in it, blurring out the constant chatter that was around him as he silently waited for half time to pass by.

He still kept his hopes high for Katolis High, and was not going to give up on Rayla. Even though things may have not looked good right now, he knew that she wouldn't just sit there and mope. Rather, she would push herself and give it her all to ensure that she and her team would bounce back from this.

Because he knew that Rayla was determined beyond anything else to win this game.

No matter the obstacles.

\-------- 

"Callum!" His head jolted up from his doodling and glanced over at Claudia, who was pointing at the door. "The game is resuming."

Looking at where she was pointing, Callum watched as Lux Aurea Academy entered the field, followed by Katolis High.

_"Halftime is officially over now, and we are back with the remainder of the game tonight. Incase anyone has joined in late, Lux Aurea Academy currently leads over Katolis High School with a score of 2 to 0!"_

As Rayla and her team walked across the pitch, Callum saw as she talked with a few of her teammates. Her face looked determined, and the way she talked made Callum believe that she was trying to encourage her teammates that they could still win, regardless of the current score. They seemed to take her message to heart, as they nodded their heads, smiling at her as they took their respective positions on the field.

When the whistle blew and the second half began, Callum watched as Rayla and her teammates began to play a lot more aggressively than they had the last half, going on the offensive more frequently with more 

At one point, however, Sabah managed to intercept the ball and make a run for the goal. But just when she believed she was going to score, Callum saw as Aanya came from her side and took the ball back, causing Sabah's eyes to widen as she stopped dead in her tracks. Aanya then gave the ball a mighty kick and it soared into the air, going over the heads of many Lux Aurea players. 

The ball landed close to Rayla, and she quickly got it under her control as she sprinted towards the goal, getting closer with each passing step. Callum could feel the crowd around him begin to chant even louder as he saw Rayla inching closer towards the opposing team's goal, his own anticipation rising ten-fold in the process. Soon enough, Rayla was close and she gave the ball a mighty kick. Despite Lux Aurea's goalie trying to dive for the ball, it whizzed right past her and slammed into the net.

The next thing Callum knew, he was on his feet and cheering aloud, all while he could feel the deafening cheers of the crowd around him doing the same. He even turned his head to see Claudia and Ava standing up as well, their eyes wide but the smiles huge on both their faces as they squealed with happiness.

Katolis High had just scored their first goal.

_"What a shot! Katolis High's number 7!! Rayla Addison has just made the score 2 to 1! Lux Aurea Academy may still be leading, but that was just wonderful from Katolis's part!!"_

Callum continued clapping, his smile wide as he watched Rayla get engulfed in hugs from her teammates while Gren cheered from the sidelines. His then saw Sabah, who looked almost stunned at what had just happened, followed by Regem, staring wide-eyed as well, his mouth slightly agape like a fish. He couldn't resist the urge to smirk a bit at their reactions.

Once the game continued, Katolis and Lux Aurea clashed continuously, both teams wanting to score so desperately. Callum glanced at the timer that was located just overhead of the bleachers across him, and saw that the it was almost at 90 minutes, meaning that the game was going to be over soon. Lux Aurea Academy was still leading by 1 point, making him increasingly nervous that they wouldn't win.

However, just when Callum believed that, he saw as Rayla managed to take the ball from one of the Lux Aurea players. She then ran across the pitch towards the goal, with Sabah close behind her.

Just when it looked like Sabah was going to catch her, Rayla kicked the ball to the centre, where one of her teammates was waiting for her. They were close now, close to the goal. Callum soon found himself on his feet, but he wasn't the only one. He turned his head around to see others rising as well, even Claudia and Ava who were clenching their hands as the chanting returned in high volumes. 

The girl with the ball then weaved her way passed the remaining opposing team players and raised her foot back, giving the ball a hard kick. The next thing Callum knew, he was screaming along with the crowd as the ball smashed into the net. That was accompanied by Rayla and her teammates surrounding the girl in a tight hug.

_"GOAALLL!!! Katolis High's number 2 Maia Connors makes the score 2 to 2, putting Lux Aurea Academy and Katolis High in a tie!! We still have 10 more minutes in the second half, so who knows what can happen next!!!"_

Callum's eyes wandered away from Rayla and the others to Sabah, who was now scowling. He looked across at Regem, who was once again stunned and shaking his head, muttering things under his breath. He couldn't resist the urge to smirk at them once again, mentally laughing at how shocked they were at the sudden comeback Katolis was making.

When the game continued on, Lux Aurea took the ball and began to go all out on Katolis. They passed, dodged and tried to make it to the goal. Luckily, Katolis fended them off and even intercepted the ball at one point.

"Come on Katolis!!" Callum heard Claudia yell as he saw the ball get passed to Rayla. 

Controlling it, she dodged two attackers that ran at her, before avoiding Sabah and running towards the goal. 

"Go Rayla!!" Callum shouted as he watched her dodge more of the opposing teams' defenders, inching ever so closer to the goal. 

Callum rose to his feet, his anticipating rising as he saw her prepare to kick the ball. However, just when it looked like Rayla was about to score again, the referee suddenly blew his whistle and waved his arms. The timer had reached 90 minutes, letting the crowd know that the second half was officially over now. Callum sighed to himself as he sat back down. He had hoped Rayla would put their school in the lead, but time seemed to stop her from doing that.

_"It looks like the game is now over, but Katolis High and Lux Aurea Academy have drawn 2 to 2. So it seems we'll be going into overtime now to settle this once and for all. We will be taking a short break now, but we will be back soon!_

As the announcer said this, Callum watched as Gren led Rayla and her teammates through the door in between the bleachers. It wasn't long before Aaravos did the same with Lux Aurea Academy. Both teams didn't bother shaking hands, and Callum knew it must have had something to do with both schools being tied.

But he was also confused after hearing what was just said. He had never seen anything like this ever happen before at all the previous games he had attended. Two schools drawing and going into something called overtime? He didn't even know what that term meant.

But he knew someone who might.

"Claudia?" He tugged at her arm, causing her to turn and look at him. "What is overtime?"

"Oh well, overtime happens when two schools finish a game tied, and as you saw, our school and Lux Aurea finished 2 to 2. So now, two more additional segments of game time will be commencing, each being 15 minutes long."

"Oh, I see."

"And if no one scores during overtime, then they will resort to penalty kicks, which will ultimately decide the winner." Ava quickly added.

"I'm sure overtime will settle who the winner will be." Claudia replied. 

"It's going to be us." Callum stated confidently.

"Well we did make a strong comeback in the second half." Ava said, a small smile forming on her lips. "Maybe we may have a chance after all."

"Look at you." Callum smiled at her. "Where was this positivity with you and Claudia in the first half?"

Ava scoffed. "In my defence, I already knew what we were getting into before the game even started. Lux Aurea Academy has a team of really skilled players, and I knew it wasn't going to be an easy battle."

"You still believed that we were going to lose."

"Ok that's true...I did believe that." She looked away. "But now I think differently."

"Unlike her, I still had hope for our school." Claudia said rather proudly. "Even if Lux Aurea Academy was kicking our butts in the first half."

"Are you sure?" Callum smirked, not being able to resist the urge of ribbing her. "Cause you did sound a little defeated after Lux Aurea Academy scored their second goal."

"What!? Me!? Sounding defeated!?" Claudia prepared to retaliate, but instead she sunk her shoulder, sighing. "Ok, maybe you're right..."

"But hey, you guys did get your confidence back in the second half though, so that's good."

"And now we both plan to keep it that way for overtime." Claudia now sounded excited. "We might actually win!"

Callum silently nodded his head, knowing that they _would_ win, no matter what. 

Opening up his sketchbook once more, he turned to a new page and began to draw in it. As he did this, his mind soon began to think about Rayla, and how she and her teammates made a terrific comeback in the second half of the game. 

He smiled a bit as he continued drawing, not being able to ignore how she effortlessly dodged Sabah and her teams’ constant onslaughts. Just the mere thought of how she led her team to bouncing back only made his smile widen more and his heart swell up with affection.

Was it just her leadership that swayed him...or was it the fact that her skill always made him look at her in awe.

Or how her face showed just pure determination.

Or how she pushed the limits she had when sprinting to stop opposing players from scoring.

Or the way her violet eyes radiated from the dome lights.

Or even how her white hair and fair skin practically shimmered when illuminated, like that of a moon goddess...

Yup, he had no more doubts now. His heart yearned for her, and her only.

Because she was amazing. 

She was a picture of complete, ethereal beauty.

She was... _perfect._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for reading.
> 
> Teaser for the next chapter: Rayla has a realisation on something before overtime...


	17. My Heart Calls Out To You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rayla mulls over something before overtime.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is another chapter I've been wanting to write, hope you all enjoy.

Opening the door to the locker rooms, Rayla and her team entered, sitting on the benches. As she sat, one of her hands reached up to her elastic band, quickly removing it as she let her hair fall freely. She then grabbed her gym bag and opened it up, fishing out a towel and her gatorade bottle.

Using her towel to wipe away sweat that was running down her forehead and pooling in her hair, she then removed the cap off her gatorade bottle, taking a massive gulp out of it.

As she did this, she could hear her teammates all talking excitedly around her, mainly about the comeback that they made against Lux Aurea Academy. She couldn't lie when she said that she was feeling the exact same thing as well.

She could still feel the adrenaline flowing within her veins and her heart racing as she thought about the second half of the game. When the first half and ended and halftime had commenced, her entire team had already believed that all was lost. Their sagged shoulders, clear frowns, and even whispered murmurs that their hard work was for nothing pestered Rayla as they walked down the halls.

Luckily, she still kept her hopes high and wasn't going to let Sabah and her team get away with their current lead.

Once they were all inside to quickly refresh and get ready again, Rayla got her entire team to gather around her, before giving a little group talk, trying to encourage them that they could still win. It did take a little bit of persuasion, but they eventually nodded their heads, smiling as they agreed with Rayla's claims.

It made her happy to see her team full of motivation, because she knew that she would need them 

And now, they managed to tie with Lux Aurea, making the chance that they could still win come back. 

Overtime would now decide the true winner of this game. Rayla didn't want to extend this game any longer with going into penalty kicks if they tied again once more, and she certainly wasn't going to let Lux Aurea Academy win this. 

As she took another swig of her gatorade, her mind suddenly began to drift away from the constant chatter that was happening around her. She began to think of something else, but rather- someone else.

She began to think about Callum, and how he had actually held his promise of coming to the final game, wanting to support her all the way. Of course, she knew he was going to be there no matter what, but a small part of brain put doubts about him actually not being there to support her. She found it ridiculous that she would actually think something like that, but it just happened, and she didn't understand why.

That night before the final, she prayed that Callum would be there, and even when she was getting dressed in the locker rooms, she continued hoping.

She just... _needed_ him there.

The minute she had entered the field, her eyes already scrambled around the bleachers to try and find Callum, praying that he did come. She first saw Ethari, which calmed her down slightly, but her nerves were still frantic as she turned her head around almost desperately now to find Callum.

When her eyes finally landed on him, sitting with Claudia and Ava, smiling at her, she could feel her nerves calm down almost instantly. She felt relief and sheer happiness that he was actually there. 

However, as she thought about it, something else began to pop up in her mind. Aside from Runaan and Ethari, Callum was the only person that actually cared deeply for her, wanting to always support her and be there for her whenever she was in a tight spot. He had shown this firsthand when they first met all the way back in September, after their game against Del Bar and he had offered to help her with her class.

After that, he was there for her through so much. Her chemistry class, the soccer games, and even just in general- he always stood by her side, no matter what. 

Yet, there was something else that was gnawing at her. Just the mere thought of Callum alone was enough to make her heart swell up with immeasurable happiness and warmth.

_He stood by me from the very start....never left my side._

Whenever he was there with her, she felt like she was at peace and always calm no matter the situation. Even his mere presence was enough to sooth her when she was in a state of dilemma.

_I never want to leave his side as well...I don't want to, because I-_

Her eyes suddenly widened and she nearly dropped her gatorade out of her hand. 

_I don't want to...because I...love him..._

She sat there, frozen like a statue, brain now scrambling to just catch up with what she had just realised. 

"Rayla!" One of her teammates suddenly snapped her back into reality by yelling out her name. "Come on, Gren needs all of us outside now!"

She turned to look at her. "Y-Yeah, I'll...I'll be there in just a moment." 

Tossing her gatorade bottle aside, Rayla quickly redid her hair back into a ponytail and walked towards the exit, her mind still in a blur over what had just happened mere seconds ago. Once she opened the door, she saw her entire team gathered around Gren, who was talking to them while pointing at his clipboard.

"Ah Rayla, there you are." He smiled as he motioned for her to join them. "Now, as I was saying, we-"

However, Rayla couldn't focus on what Gren was saying, but rather, kept on thinking about what had happened in the locker rooms. The sudden realisation still made her mind scramble, not being able to think clearly. 

Luckily, it settled down rather quickly, and she soon composed herself. But even when she calmed down, her mind still couldn't stop thinking about Callum. What with his enchanting green eyes, delicate brown hair, and cute face...

Of course...

Of course it all made sense now. All those months that she had gotten closer to him, she'd never felt more comfortable around anyone else but him, despite her saying that he was her best friend. Now, she saw him as more than that, more than just a simple friend.

Even though the discovery of her newfound feelings for the boy still shocked her a bit, she also began to feel a sense of doubt looming over her mind. She wasn't sure how she was going to approach Callum with this. She wasn't even sure if he felt the same way for her. Still, she wasn't going to try and suppress or deny it anymore. The feelings were all too true, and not made up.

She _loved_ him.

"Once again, I'm proud to be coaching you girls. You've all done extremely well to get this far." Gren's voice quickly pulled Rayla back to what was happening before her. "Now let's get out there and show Lux Aurea Academy what we are really made of!"

He put his hand in the centre and all the other girls did the same.

"1, 2, 3- Katolis!!" Both Gren and the girls (minus Rayla) shouted.

Soon everyone walked down the hallway, talking with one another. However, Rayla trailed behind them, avoiding eye contact and not saying a word. Even as she entered the field she still didn't pay attention to the people chanting, or the announcer yelling, or even the snarl that Sabah gave her as she came face to face with her. Rather, she turned her head around to where Callum was sitting.

And when her eyes landed on him, she saw as he waved and gave her a smile, one that instantly made her heart flutter. And the more she continued looking at him, the more she could feel her mind screaming at her, telling her what she'd just found out.

Telling her: _I love you Callum.._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for reading.
> 
> Can't believe summer is now over, and I'll be heading back to college. Still, I'll finish this story no matter what, even if I am sitting in a dorm for half the time.
> 
> Teaser for the next chapter: The final minutes of the championship


	18. It’s Now Or Never

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rayla and Sabah clash one more time as overtime commences.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've just started my classes for college, so updates might be a little slower.
> 
> But like I said before, I will finish this fic no matter what.

The moment she heard the whistle blow, Rayla and her team took the ball into their possession as they went all out against Lux Aurea Academy. Sabah and her team responded by pushing them back and trying to take the ball away from them, yet Katolis still held their ground, not letting them advance towards their goal.

Callum watched the scene unfold before him, and he wasn't going to lie when he admitted that this was even more intense than the final game itself. He could see the desperation from both sides now, but mainly from Rayla, as she mercilessly intercepted and stopped opposing players from taking the ball away, while she herself tried to help her team score.

He even caught a view of Sabah, who was now growing visibly impatient as she attacked constantly, trying to break through Katolis's defenses alongside her teammates. Despite her hellbent nature on wanting to win, Rayla kept counterattacking her and pushing her back, much to her anger. 

The constant running, kicking and attempts at scoring continued on until the referee suddenly blew his whistle. Callum glanced up at the timer, and saw that it had hit the fifteen minute mark, meaning that the first half was now over. Yet both schools were still tied zero to zero, despite the close calls that had happened from time to time by both Katolis and Lux Aurea.

Sighing to himself, Callum prepared to take his sketchbook out, but he was stopped when he felt Claudia grab his hand.

"There's no point in taking your sketchbook out Callum."

"What?"

"The first part of overtime may be over, but the teams only get a minute of break time before the second half begins."

"Really?"

"Yes."

"Oh...ok then." His hand retracted from his satchel as he watched both teams get into position again as the referee brought the ball back into the center.

"We've come so far." Callum turned to look at Ava, who was speaking to Claudia. "I only hope we win."

Before Claudia could reply, Callum's voice stopped her.

"We will win. If there's one thing I know about Rayla and her team, they won't give up that easily."

"Yeah, we did make quite a miraculous comeback during the second half," Claudia said. "We still have a pretty good chance of beating Lux Aurea Academy."

"That was pretty amazing, and like I said before, it did bring back my confidence for our school."

"See? Just have faith in our team, I know we will defeat Lux Aurea."

"Well now we get to see if that will happen." Claudia pointed to the center of the pitch, where both Katolis and Lux Aurea had repositioned themselves while the referee held the whistle to his mouth. "The second half is about to commence."

Callum saw as Rayla was once again looking at Sabah, both of them scowling at one another. 

This was it, the final minutes of the championship game were upon them. Even though Callum could feel the intensity rising with each passing second, he assured himself since he knew Rayla wasn't going to back down. 

He believed in her...with all of his heart.

The sound of the whistle suddenly blowing again echoed through the dome as both teams went at it again, trying to get the soccer ball. Callum, however, could see both teams were wearing down now, as evidenced by the slower running and heavy panting. But that didn't stop the ferocity that both team still exhibited as they continued clashing over and over to take the ball for theirs.

There was also more desperation from Lux Aurea's side, mainly towards Sabah as she began to play even more aggressively. She even went as far as to nearly knocking players from both schools out of her way as she took the ball and tried to run at the goal, not caring if others were waving at her to pass the ball.

Now Callum could see just how hellbent Sabah really was on wanting to win. Not caring about her own teammates? Where was the sportsmanship in that?

Callum merely shook his head, but could feel the nervousness suddenly eating away at him as he watched Sabah cut through Rayla before making it towards the goal, lining herself up for a clean shot. But just when it seemed that she was going to shoot, Aanya suddenly came at her side, intercepting and taking the ball away from her, much to her surprise.

Giving an angry shout, Sabah chased after her, while other Lux Aurea players tried to cut her off and box her in. Rayla, seeing this, ran at Aanya's side, trying to wave at her and get her to pass the ball to where she was, as there weren't many players defending her.

When Aanya finally looked over to Rayla, she was already surrounded by four Lux Aurea players, including Sabah, who sneered at her.

"You're not going anywhere," She laughed at Aanya. "Give up, you can't beat us."

Aanya, however, ignored Sabah's words and instead focused on Rayla, who was standing and waving at her. Quickly glancing back to the opposing players that surrounded her and then back over to Rayla, Aanya nodded her head as she raised her foot all the way back. She then punted the ball as hard as she could and it flew off the ground.

Sabah and the rest froze as they watched the ball fly over their heads. It soared into the air, and Rayla watched as it was about to land dead center in the field, not too far from where she was standing. She could already see Lux Aurea rushing towards it, but she wasn't going to let them get it. 

Eyes narrowed, Rayla sprinted like she had never done before towards where the ball was going to land. Despite the feeling of her lungs about to give out, she pushed through the pain and picked her pace up, dodging past opposing players. When the ball landed, she was already right in front of it, quickly getting it under her control as she made a break for the goal.

"No! Stop her!!" Rayla heard Sabah scream behind her as she saw a few Lux Aurea players rushing at her, trying to cut her off. 

However, she furrowed her eyes brows and continued running, avoiding the incoming players as she got closer to the goal. Her head quickly turned to look at the timer, and saw that there were only 15 more seconds left before the second half would end. 

But instead of feeling panic, now she was filled with more determination than ever as she felt the adrenaline coursing through her veins. This game had gone on long enough, and she wasn't going to let it drag on any further. 

It was now or never...

As she managed to avoid the last defender, Rayla soon found herself close enough to the goal to shoot. 

However, just as she prepared to kick the ball, she quickly turned her head in the direction of where Callum was, and saw that he was now on his feet. His fists were clenched and he was yelling out her name. Seeing this, Rayla not only felt her heart blossom a bit, but she felt the confidence within her increase drastically as she took her foot all the way back.

 _"This is for you, Callum.."_ She whispered to herself as she closed her eyes and took a deep breath before kicking the ball with all the strength she had left. The minute she felt her foot make contact with the ball, she saw as it whizzed at a high speed right towards the opposing teams' goalie.

Rayla continued watching as she dived for it, her arms outstretched and her hands wide open. However, it slipped right passed her and smashed into the net. This was accompanied by the sounds of deafening roars suddenly filling the dome, the referee blowing his whistle while waving his arms, and the announcer screaming in a frenzied tone.

 _"It's good!_ _Rayla Addison has done it!! Katolis High managed to score just as the second half of overtime ended!! They did it, they've won!!"_

Rayla had to take a minute to let her brain process what was just said. She continued staring at the goal, looking at where the soccer ball was lying, which was entangled in the nets. She also saw the goalie slump down onto her knees, scowling as she took her gloves off.

Once her brain caught up with the fact that she had scored, she let out a scream of happiness as she jumped into the air, relishing in the sudden feeling of euphoria flooding through her entire body.

"Whoo!!!"

"Yes Rayla!!!"

"You did it!!"

"We won!!!"

Hearing those shouts, she turned around and saw Gren, along with all of her teammates rushing at her, their faces fixed with huge smiles. She even caught a glimpse of Sabah, who was standing stiff with wide eyes, looking almost stunned.

However, she only saw this for a few seconds as she soon felt herself get tackled to the ground by her entire team while they continued screaming with joy. Despite her vision now being obscured and feeling tremendous weight now forming on her stomach, she could only continue to smile widely as she closed her eyes and listened to the deafening screams around her. Eventually, she managed to wriggle her way out from the pile, but she was still engulfed in hug after hug, her teammates certainly not wanting her to go anywhere. 

As this happened, she turned her head around to look at the bleachers, which showed the crowd on their feet and cheering.

Yet, there were quite a few people who remained seated and were either shaking their heads or slumping in a defeated pose; likely due to their supporting on Lux Aurea Academy.

This was obvious when she saw Regem and his friends, who were all staring at her with wide eyes and mouths that were agape. But she didn't care about them, and her eyes moved to Ethari, who was smiling widely as he clapped hard. And then, she turned to look at Callum, who had on a huge smile and was screaming out her name, all while he jumped up. 

Seeing Callum, Ethari, Gren, her team and the crowd cheering was enough for Rayla to start feeling tears of happiness forming at the corners of her eyes as she continued looking around, but she soon felt herself being picked up. Peering down, Rayla saw as her teammates lifted her into the air, all while chanting out _'Katolis High'_ over and over.

Despite this sudden action, she couldn't care less as she raised both her hands into the air, savouring the feeling of the fact that she had did it.

She had won the championship for Katolis High.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for reading.
> 
> Teaser for the next chapter: Awards ceremony.


	19. No More Holding Back

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Following Rayla's winning goal, awards are given out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been wanting to write this chapter ever since I started this fic!! :))
> 
> Hope you all enjoy!

The dome was still filled with the loud roars of the crowd as the cheering continued while Rayla was still squished by all her teammates into hug after hug, even if it had been almost a minute after she had scored the winning goal.

Callum was no exception of this, as he, alongside Claudia and Ava, continued cheering. He tried to scream her name out and get her attention, but due to how loud it already was, he found it impossible.

Eventually, the cheering leveled down, but it was still noisy as people continued clapping while Rayla and her team went to shake hands with the Lux Aurea players. Callum watched as Rayla went over to Sabah, who reluctantly reached out to shake her hand, all while she looked away from her and scowled angrily. Once that was done, both teams left the field, exiting through the doors.

But even when the field was vacant, everyone remained seated, not moving. Callum was confused by this, so he reached over and tugged at Claudia's arm.

"Claudia, what's going on? The game is over now right?"

"Yep, but now its time for the awards ceremony!" Her voice was filled with excitement, but Callum still stared quizzically at her.

"Wait, the awards ceremony happens here?"

"That's right," Ava said, turning to look at him. "We just need to wait for the workers to set up the first, second and third place podiums, and the officials also need to have the medals ready before it happens."

"Oh."

After a few minutes of waiting, Callum soon saw people entering the field. Some held giant rectangular-like stands that were wide enough to have a whole team stand on them, while others carried out trays that had bronze, silver and golden medals.

Seeing this, Callum realized that awards were soon going to be given out, and he smiled a bit as he waited for it to happen. Once the podiums were put properly onto the ground, and everyone was standing in what appeared to be their assigned positions, the announcer's voice rang out.

_"Now that everything is ready, let the awards ceremony begin! Starting with third place, we have the School of Willowcreek!!"_

The doors that left the field soon opened and a group of girls, the team that represented the school, entered alongside their coach.

"Wait a minute." Callum was baffled when he saw this. He didn't see them anywhere in the crowds during the game. "Where did they come from?"

"Oh, they likely played in the other soccer dome for the third place medal," Claudia replied. "Sorry, I completely forgot to tell you about that."

"Wha-" But the more Callum thought about it, he did remember seeing a bunch of people not entering the dome he was currently in when the championship game was about to happen. Rather, they were walking to the opposite direction to where the second soccer dome was. "Oh, that actually makes some sense."

"Yeah, it's not just the teams in the championship that play." Claudia continued. "The two teams that were knocked out in the semi-finals also play on the day of the final, but for third place and in the other dome."

Callum silently nodded his head, watching as the team stepped onto the third place podium while officials began to give out the bronze medals. Once that was done, the announcer came back on again.

_"Coming in second place, we have former reigning champions: Lux Aurea Academy!!"_

There was significantly less noise as Lux Aurea entered through the doors along with their coach. Most of the girls were still smiling, but Sabah seemed to have a permanent frown etched into her features as they stepped onto the podium. Soon enough, silver medals were being handed out, yet many people remained quiet, while a few clapped for them.

Sabah still scowled angrily, even when she bowed her head down to let the medal be placed onto her, refusing to make eye contact with anyone in the crowds nor her teammates. There were even a few people who got up and left when while this happened, Regem being one of them. Callum watched the boy get up from his spot and leave, his head shaking while he fumed angrily. His friends were close behind him, most of them showing similar actions.

Callum, however, ignored him as he bounced a bit in his seat, anxiously waiting for Rayla to appear with her team. His waiting wasn't that long anymore, as the announcer was once again speaking, his voice louder than before.

_"And now, the winners of this year's national state tournaments: Katolis High School!!"_

The dome was suddenly lit up with intense cheering and Callum joined in with it as he watched the Katolis High girls come through the doors, walking towards the podium in a straight line. He quickly spotted Rayla in the middle, her hair free from the ponytail she was in earlier while she and her team also continued wearing their soccer uniforms. 

As they stepped up, the officials began to put the golden medals on them. As Rayla bowed her head down to receive hers, she already felt tears forming in her eyes, and once she pulled back, she took a moment to hold the medal in her hands, seeing the bright gold reflect vividly from the lights.

Now she definitely felt a few tears cascading down her cheeks. Once the medals were all given out, one of the officials walked up to Rayla, holding something in his arms. Callum tried to see what it was, but it was mostly obscured from him.

"Claudia? What is that man holding?"

"That's the national champions plaque, but you could simply call it the 'trophy' for the first place winners." 

The man handed it to Rayla, who smiled as she took a moment to show it to her teammates before lifting it up. The second she did that, the cheering only intensified as people began to scream, chant and clap harder. Callum quickly found himself doing it, marveling at how Rayla held it high above her head, turning it around to show everyone.

_"And that's it folks the national tournaments are officially over now!! Thank you to everyone for coming out and supporting your respective schools, and we hope you have an amazing night!"_

Soon enough, the teams left through the doors while people got up and began to walk towards the exit. Callum followed Claudia and Ava closely as they navigate through the crowds and managed to leave the dome, the harsh winter greeting them as Claudia began to guide the two to her car.

However, Callum soon stopped when he turned his head back to the sports centre, suddenly realizing that he wanted to at least find Rayla and celebrate the huge victory that she had just won alongside her team.

"Hey, um...you guys go on ahead, I want to go and congratulate Rayla."

Upon hearing this, Claudia smirked secretly but replaced it with a more genuine smile when she turned to face Callum. "Ok, just don't be long. Me and Ava will wait in the car for you."

"Thanks Claudia." He smiled at her before turning around and sprinting towards the sports centre, entering through the main doors. 

Navigating through the halls, he soon spotted Rayla, talking with Ethari, Gren and some of her teammates. He stopped, smiling as he watched Rayla hand the plaque over to Gren while Ethari scooped her up into a massive hug, all while her teammates began to walk down another corridor, likely to where the locker rooms were. Once Ethari put Rayla down, he spoke something else to her before turning around and walking away.

Once he was out of sight, Callum saw as Rayla began to walk to where her teammates had vanished, but he still wanted to congratulate her, so he ran at her.

"Rayla!" Callum called. He saw as she stopped and turned around to look at him, a smile instantly curving on her mouth the moment it happened.

“Callum! We di-oh!”

Rayla didn’t get a chance to finish her sentence, and instead found herself being enveloped in what was probably the tightest hug ever. Without even hesitating, she wrapped her arms around him also, her smile growing even wider.

“I’m so proud of you Rayla,” Callum said, his voice slightly muffled into her shoulder. Just hearing those words come out of his mouth was enough for Rayla to start feeling her eyes water up again as her grip tightened more around him.

When they drew back, they still kept close to one another as Rayla's hands rested on his shoulders while Callum kept his hands on her hips.

"You did it," Callum said eagerly. "You won!"

The excitement in his voice was enough to make Rayla's heart soar. "I know! I'm still trying to get over that fact that we did it!"

"You should have seen Sabah's face when you scored, she looked like she was about to explode even during the ceremony itself."

Rayla giggled a bit at that. "Regem was no different, he looked like he saw a ghost after we won."

"Oh trust me, I did see that. He even left when Lux Aurea was being awarded the silver medal, and I could have sworn he was cursing a bit."

"Serves that jerk right, I only wish I took a picture of that."

Callum couldn't contain a laugh that escaped his throat when he heard Rayla's remark, and she soon joined in with it.

When they eventually calmed down, they kept quiet for a bit as they stared into each others eyes, not saying anything.

"Hey..." Rayla began, her voice soft. "Thanks for coming out and supporting me tonight. I mean, I know you were going to be there, but still, thank you."

Callum's eyes softened remarkably when he heard this. "You're welcome Rayla, and you know I'll be there for you no matter what."

"Really?"

He smiled, lightly resting his forehead against hers. _"Always.."_

Now there was silence again, but Callum didn't know what else to say as he was now lost in Rayla's beautiful lilac eyes, already feeling warmth bubbling in his stomach with each passing second. However, his eyes quickly flickered away from hers and down to her lips.

Lips that were close to his, and ones that he dreamt of kissing ever since he had realized his true feelings for the girl. He quickly refocused on staring into her eyes, but his mind was now yelling at him, saying that he needs to tell her his true feelings.

But just like before, another part of his brain started to plant seeds of doubts into his mind again.

Telling him that she didn't feel the same way...

That she was just his best friend...

That she...

No...

No, he wasn't going to let these doubts stop him anymore.

He loved her, he really did, and he wanted her to know that. He didn't care if she friend-zoned him after that, he would still be immensely happy if they continued being friends.

He wasn't going to hold back any longer, she had to know about how he truly felt for her.

Rayla, on the other hand, couldn't say anything else as she stared into his eyes. His emerald green eyes that showed nothing but complete admiration for her. She could already feel the feelings within her quickly resurfacing, and she knew it was all too real. Even though she may have figured them out not too long ago, it still overwhelmed her body as her mind kept screaming _I love you_ , over and over.

She wanted to express the way she felt for him, but didn't know how. Suddenly, an idea popped into her head, one that she may regret horribly, but one she knew was her only way of silently confessing her love to him.

And if it went wrong, she would deal with the consequences later.

Callum was about to open his mouth, ready to confess to her, but he stopped when Rayla brought a hand up to his cheek, gently cupping it while she smiled softly at him.

Feeling her hand on his face, Callum leaned into her soft touch, his eyes never leaving hers. However, he was slightly confused as to why Rayla did that.

He was already trying to come up with reasons for why, but before he could even think of anything rational, it happened...

She leaned in, pressing her lips into his.

Callum’s eyes widened and he froze at Rayla’s sudden action, but he quickly found himself easing into the kiss as his arms wrapped around her waist, pulling her in closer.

The moment she felt him relax, Rayla herself calmed down as well as the kiss continued on. Her hand soon left his cheek, coming to rest on his chest, right where his heart was. She felt it hammering against her hand, and she was sure her heart was doing the same.

What felt like minutes passed before Rayla was the first to slowly pull away, as she needed to catch her breath. She opened her eyes to see Callum doing the same, and despite his face being slightly rosy, a smile started forming on his mouth.

“Wow...” Callum breathed.

“Was…was that ok?” Rayla whispered.

“Yes..” His smiled showed even more now. “It was.” 

“Good.” Her hand then gripped his scarf. “But I was just getting started...”

She was about to pull him in for another kiss, but Callum was more than happy to meet her at the halfway point. The minute their lips touched again, Callum instantly felt the world around him fade away into nothing. The sounds of people talking, walking by, or even possibly staring didn't matter to him. 

All that mattered was the fact that he was _kissing_ Rayla, and he could already feel his body sparking up with waves of what he could only describe as euphoria. He never thought something like this would ever happen, even when he was about to openly confess to her, and he wouldn't be able to even describe the feeling of it alone. 

It was so...amazing to say the very least.

He didn't want this to end. He wanted to savor every precious second of this moment.

But sadly, it didn't last that long as Rayla suddenly felt a hand on her shoulder. Eyes shooting open, she broke off the kiss, much to her reluctance, and spun her head around to see Aanya and a few of her teammates standing behind her.

"A-Aanya!??" A blush quickly formed on her face as she separated from Callum. "W-What do want?"

"My mom wants to get another picture of all of us together, and she wants you to hold the plaque, given that you won the game for us."

"O-Oh..uhhh.." Rayla was still in a flustered mess given that her teammates caught her in the middle of...well..her moment with Callum. "O-Ok, I'll be there in a second..."

Aanya gave a nod and walked away with her teammates. Rayla quickly calmed down and turned to see Callum, who's face had also turned a whole shade of pink.

"Sorry, about them..."

"T-That's fine..." Callum replied sheepishly as he rubbed the back of his neck. "You go on, I'll stay back..."

"I'm done here. Ethari needed to step out for a phone call, so after the team picture, I'll go and grab my things."

"Alright, I'll...uh...make my way back to the main entrance and wait for you there."

"Ok." Rayla smiled and leaned in again to quickly plant another kiss on his lips before turning around and running off. Callum watched her, and noticed the slight bounce in her footsteps as if she was hopping with glee.

Once she was out of sight, Callum turned around and ambled his way over to where the main lounge was. 

As he did this, he could feel his mouth widening into another large smile as his mind continued racing over what had happened just mere minutes ago.

It was almost like a dream.

A dream that had come true for him...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for reading! :D
> 
> Teaser for the next chapter: Discussing feelings.


	20. Accepting The Facts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Callum and Rayla talk feelings.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Still breathing!
> 
> College has knocked the wind out of me, but I'm still finishing the fic.
> 
> Hope you all enjoy

As Callum entered the main lobby, he managed to find a seat that was close to the main entrance. Once he sat down, he began to wait for Rayla, but as he did this, his mind soon began to travel back to everything that had happened before hand. 

From the moment he embraced Rayla, to when they were so close together that he actually rested his forehead against hers.

It was such a close moment, and he never imagined being able to stare that deeply into Rayla's beautiful violet eyes.

And that fact that she _kissed_ him. 

His mind was still scrambling over it happening just mere moments ago as he brought a hand up to touch his lips. He could still feel the warmth and softness of hers on his, and his heart rate began to pick up as he thought about it more. She didn't even have second thoughts when she leaned in. She was fully confident in her actions, which is what startled him slightly.

Luckily, he quickly eased into it, partly since he was afraid she may have had the realization that her action was a mistake, and he didn't want to ruin it for her.

Still, the fact that she had kissed him continued ringing through his mind.

It was the perhaps the best moment of his entire life. 

His eyes continued looking down the hallways, trying to find the white-haired girl. Soon enough, he spotted her walking out of one of the corridors. She had switched out her soccer uniform for a pair of jeans, black boots and a purple jacket while her gym bag was slung over her shoulder. The moment she saw him, she smiled and walked over to where he was, taking a seat right next to him as she plopped her bag on the ground.

There was silence between the pair, but Rayla soon moved her hand to his, gently taking it. The moment he felt her soft skin on his, Callum looked down and watched as she intertwined her fingers with his.

He took a moment to see just how big his hand was to hers, and how their fingers neatly fitted together.

It was a perfect match.

Like they were _meant_ to be like this from that start...

"What's on your mind?" He quickly blinked and saw that he had been lost in thought. He brought his head up to see Rayla smiling at him, and he chuckled nervously at his zoning out.

"Sorry..." Callum said sheepishly as he quickly flickered down to their conjoined hands once more. "I'm just...still grasping over what had happened back in the hallway..."

"You mean when I kissed you?"

"Y-Yeah...it's just...I don't know..."

"Callum? What are you trying to say?"

"Well...after what happened in the hallway, I felt like I was dreaming." He knew what he was saying almost sounded like ludicrous, but he continued either way. "I don't know, I guess I'm still thinking like that right now..."

Rayla merely laughed a little at his remark. "It wasn't a dream Callum, what happened was real."

"I know...I'm just makin-OW!" She suddenly pinched him with her other hand. 

"See?" She smirked as she held up their still-interlocked hands. "Not a dream..."

Callum rolled his eyes, but couldn't resist smiling warmly at her as the pair sat in comfortable silence, save for the sounds of people in the distance walking by or speaking. 

"Hey...Rayla?" Callum soon broke the silence.

"Hmm?"

"How..how long have you felt this way about me?"

Rayla felt her cheeks heat up slightly upon being asked this, but she cleared her throat and answered, "Umm, I...I think I felt it for a bit, but it took me a while to realize what it really was..." She gave him a nervous smile. "So..yeah..I think I've liked you for quiet a bit..."

Callum was a bit shocked upon hearing her statement, but it didn't matter because a feeling of relief and happiness flooded through him at the learning.

“And what about you?” She asked. “How long did you feel about me?”

“Well…” He rubbed the back of his neck and felt his cheeks going a tinge of pink. “I think all the way back in September when I first watched you play against Del Bar. The moment I watched you in action on the field I was just…mesmerized right off the bat...”

Rayla let out a low whistle before giggling as she quipped, “So love at first sight, huh?”

“Uhhh…” Callum looked away from her, not needing to know that his face had turned a whole shade of red. “You could say that…” He then rushed, "...but I thought that me trying to date you would never work because I considered you out of my league. So…I believed that being your friend would have been way more than enough…"

“Leagues?” Rayla cocked her head a bit. “Callum, do you really believe in that type of stuff?”

“Umm…I did…” He admitted sheepishly, turning his head back to look her.

She merely rolled her eyes at him. “Callum, I don’t care about leagues. I like you ok, and you like me as well.”

“That’s true.” He offered a small smile. "Man, I still can't believe how persistent Ezran and Claudia were on trying to get us together..."

"They were trying to set us up?" Rayla raised an eyebrow, but a she smirked at him. "When did they start shipping you and I?"

"Not too long after we met. Ezran caught me texting you one time, and he began to ask if I ever considered asking you out, which I adamantly said no too. Not even later, Claudia began to tease me as well after she saw me talking with you in the hallways, and before you know it, both of them were constantly on me, teasing me about it 24/7."

Rayla burst out laughing, her free hand clutching her stomach. "Looks like they were determined."

"Yeah..yeah they were." His thumb lightly brushed across her knuckles as the pair sat in comfortable silence again. “So…does this mean that we’re…a thing now?" He soon broke it, giving a nervous chuckle. "Like…boyfriend and girlfriend?” 

Her eyes softened as she scooted closer to him, her voice now a whisper. “I think it does, and…I’d like that.”

Despite the warmth now burning almost intensely on his face, Callum smiled back and brought his free hand up to cup her cheek.

“Me too…” He then pulled her in to press his lips onto hers again. 

As this happened, he could already feel the sparks of euphoria dancing across his entire body again as his heart picked up speed once more. He’d still never be able to describe just the feeling alone of kissing the girl of his dreams. His arms soon wrapped around her waist, and she responded by wrapping her arms around his neck, their kiss getting slightly more passionate by each passing second.

Callum didn't want this to end. He wanted to spend every second he could with her now, and he didn't want to break this.

Until...

"Oh. My. God."

Recognizing that voice, Callum's eyes burst open and he jerked backwards, breaking the kiss and spinning his head around to see Claudia standing in front of them. Her eyes were wide and a hand was covering her mouth.

"Oh god...C-Claudia!?" His voice was now an octave higher, and he knew that people would be staring at him. "Umm..this-this-"

"I knew it..." Her surprised expression turned into a wide smile as she started to bounce on her feet. "I knew it, I knew it, I knew it!!"

Callum glanced over at Rayla, who's eyes were nearly bursting out of her head as she covered her face with her hand, a deep shade of pink covering her skin.

"I-I thought you were waiting in the car with Ava." He soon spoke, looking up at her sparkling eyes.

"I was, but you were taking forever. I even messaged you a few times, didn't you see them?"

He pulled out his phone and saw he had 4 new messages, each from Claudia. "I guess I had my phone on silent..."

"Orrr..." She smirked as she eyed Rayla. "You were two busy smooching her, that you didn't want to leave!"

Callum froze when he heard this, and he felt like his face was going to combust out of sheer embarrassment. 

He looked over at Rayla again, and her face was still pink. Sighing to himself, he knew what he had to do next.

"Well...since she is here, it's best that I introduce you to her properly," Callum said, his voice low. "Rayla, Claudia. Claudia, Rayla.."

"It's nice to meet you!" She was still full of energy as she shook a dazed Rayla's hand rapidly. "Oh my god, I still can't believe this, it's actually true!!"

"Claudia, people are staring at you..." Callum mumbled, not bothering to meet her eyes.

"Do I look like I care!?" 

"Figured you'd say something like that..."

"Anyways, Rayla, it's so nice to meet you properly." Her voice was still full of energy. "Any new friend of Callum, or in this case _girlfriend..."_ She wiggled her eyebrows, causing Callum to face palm "...is a friend of mine!"

"Oh..umm...thank you Claudia..." Rayla offered a weak smile, but Callum knew she was still embarrassed over being caught by her.

After Claudia took her hand back, she suddenly looked at Rayla, and began to think. The two teens were uncomfortably silent as they watched the girl scratch her chin. It was almost as if they could hear the gears turning in her mind, but didn't know what she was processing.

"You know...now I want to get to know you better now!" She exclaimed, eyes widening as if her had mind had finally created an idea. 

"Claudia, what are you getting at?" Callum raised an eyebrow.

"She should come over to my place!"

"What!??" His eyes nearly doubled in size and he had to make sure his ears weren't clogged.

Did Claudia just invite Rayla over to hers and Soren's place!?

"I've been planning to have a game night in a few weeks. I was already going to invite you, but now she's also coming!" She gestured to Rayla. "She could even meet Soren!"

"W-Wait..Claudia-" Callum began to object, but Claudia didn't bother as she checked her phone.

"I have to go now, I need to drop Ava off." She turned around and left the two teens, but quickly spun her head around to eye them once more. "I'll text you all the details about game night a week from when it happens, and I expect you to bring Rayla, understand?"

Before Callum could even say another word she ran out of the building, disappearing into the parking lot, leaving Callum to just process what had happened. As he stared at the door, he soon felt a tap on his shoulder.

Quickly shaking his head, he turned to see Rayla looking at him, her face still pink.

"S-Sorry Rayla...

"That's ok Callum...I never noticed just how energetic your friend was..."

"Yeah..." He mustered up a small smile. "She's really been hyper ever since she found out that I was your friend, and just like I said before, she wouldn't leave me alone about it. So I guess that her finding out that we are now more than just friends kinda made her explode with happiness..."

"Oh she definitely did that. Guess her outburst just caught me off guard..."

"I know, and now it looks like you're coming with me to her game night."

"And she mentioned someone else...Soren if I remember correctly. Who's that?"

"Claudia's older brother. Though, I'm surprised you haven't heard about him, many girls in the hallways gossip about him all the time."

"They do?"

"Soren is one of the most popular athletes in Katolis High. He's the star quarterback for the football team."

"Wait a second..." Rayla scratched her chin. "I think I may have heard a conversation or two in the halls before..." Her mind processed for a few seconds. "Is he a tall guy with dirty blonde hair, and some say he has the IQ of a toaster pastry, an-"

Rayla stopped when she heard Callum laughing hard, his hands clutching his stomach as he nearly fell off the bench. "Yes..yes that's him...oh man Rayla, that was just..." He soon calmed down, wiping away a tear. "Yeah, that's pretty much what everyone says about him..."

"So you're telling me that you are friends with a star quarterback athlete and his energetic, crazed sister?"

Callum simply nodded in response. "Heh, well Claudia is almost like Ezran in the se-" He soon stopped mid sentence and his eyes widened. "Oh man, I just realized that I'm going to have to tell Harrow and Ezran about us being...a thing...and I guarantee you that Ez will scream so loud that the windows in our house will shatter..."

Rayla chuckled, but her expression suddenly fell when she realized something also. "Oh no...I'm going to have to tell Runaan and Ethari..."

Noticing her frown, Callum brought a hand up to her shoulder. "Rayla?"

"It's just...I know Ethari will be surprised by this...but Runaan...I know he's not going to take this lightly at all..."

"Will he be...upset?"

"Well...his reaction will not be one of happiness..." She looked away from him, but Callum gently turned her shoulder to look at her.

"Rayla, I know that coming to our families about this might be hard, but I think we can do it..."

"You might be able to, but I don't know about me..." She was silent for a moment, but took a deep breath as she finished what she had to say. "I just don't want Runaan to flip out and actually do something he might regret later on..."

"Rayla-"

"But I know that if I keep this from both him and Ethari, then it would only make matters worse when they eventually find out, and I don't wan-"

"Rayla, hey.." He took both her hands in his. "Breathe." She closed her eyes and inhaled softly. "Look, you have told me that your uncle Runaan is..scary in certain areas, but that doesn't mean that you shouldn't keep this a secret from both him and Ethari." 

"Still..."

"Maybe you can tell Ethari first, since he might be more understanding than Runaan...and maybe later...you can talk to him about it."

She looked at him and he quickly rushed, "With Ethari of course! I know he'll understand Rayla, cause even though he might be overprotective on you, that doesn't excuse the fact that he loves you regardless."

Despite the uncertainty still slightly eating at her, Rayla soon smiled warmly at him as she leaned in and kissed his cheek. "You're right...I think we can manage."

Callum grinned back at her, and was really tempted to lean in and kiss her again, but stopped when he saw the main door suddenly opened, revealing Ethari who immediately spotting the two.

"Ah, hello Callum." He smiled at the boy as he took Rayla's gym bag. "Come on Rayla, I just got off the phone with Runaan, and he's already making a small victory cake for you when we get back."

She smiled at him, but then turned to look at Callum. "Can we drop off Callum as well?"

"Huh?"

"Umm..Claudia already left with Ava, and I don't have any way of getting back..." He offered a small smile. "If that's ok with you Ethari..."

He smiled warmly at the boy. "It's more than fine Callum, I can drop you back along the way."

Hearing this, Callum smiled widely as he made sure he had his phone and satchel before zipping his coat up. "Thank you Ethari."

"No need to thank me Callum." He slung Rayla's gym bag over his shoulder as he pushed the door open as he lead Callum and Rayla through the parking lot. Soon they arrived at his car and Ethari unlocked it, allowing Callum and Rayla to enter while he opened up the trunk. Once Callum was inside, he saw as Rayla got in the seat next to him, her smile warm as she got close to him.

Smiling back at her, he took her hand in his again, before leaning forward and planting a soft kiss on her forehead. They then heard the trunk close and Ethari sat down in the drivers seat, offering his phone to Callum so that he could type his address once more into Maps.

Soon enough, Ethari pulled out of the parking lot and was on the road. As he got onto the highway, he glanced up into the rearview mirror and saw that both teens had fallen asleep. However, he also took notice that Rayla was resting her head on Callum's shoulder. He paid no attention to it at first, but then his eyes lowered down to their hands, and he saw that their fingers were intertwined together.

It didn't take him more than a second to realize what this meant.

But instead of clearing his throat or trying to wake them up in any way, Ethari only smiled to himself as he continued driving. He knew how close Rayla had gotten with Callum ever since they had come over for dinner, so even though it sort of surprised him that they were now this close, he quickly brushed it off because he knew Rayla was more than ok with it.

Even though he was slightly worried about how they were going to explain this to Runaan, he chose not to worry about as of right now.

Because she was happy with Callum, and that was more than enough for him to not object at all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for reading.
> 
> Teaser for the next chapter: Callum tells Harrow and Ezran.


	21. They Have A Right To Know (Part 1)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Callum tells Harrow and Ezran about his new relationship with Rayla.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Literally had the worst block on this chapter, and college has really been wearing me out. 
> 
> Sorry for the massive wait, but I hope you all enjoy some Callum and family banter (plus Harrow has a story to tell...)

Callum couldn't remember how long he was asleep, or how long he felt Rayla's head on his shoulder as he held her hand securely in his. What he did remember, was suddenly opening his eyes and seeing that he was still in Ethari's car, but that they were now off the highway and now entering Callum's neighbourhood. He wanted to move, but remembered that Rayla was still sleeping on his shoulder.

"Hey...Rayla..." Callum whispered, gently shaking her with one of his hands.

"Mmm...yeah?" She cracked an eye open, looking up to see Callum smiling softly at her. She allowed a small smile of her own to appear and she leaned up a little to plant a quick kiss on his cheek.

"We are at my place now...I need to go soon."

"Oh...ok..." She lifted her head off him, her smile lopsided and her eyes hooded as she rubbed them. 

Seeing her like that made Callum's heart dissolve into a puddle. It was super adorable. He still held her hand in his, but before he could do or say anything else, he suddenly felt the car stop, and he turned his head to see that they were now in front of his house.

"Alright Callum, here we are at last." Ethari turned to smile at the boy, his eyes lowering a little to see him removing his hand from hers. 

"Thank you so much again Ethari." Callum smiled back as he grabbed his satchel and ensured he had his phone with him.

"Don't worry about it. Have a good night, ok?"

"You as well." He opened the car door seat and stepped out, but not before giving one more affectionate smile to Rayla.

Once he shut the door behind him, Ethari and Rayla continued watching as he unlocked the front door and disappeared inside. When Ethari began to pull out of the driveway, he looked back up at the mirror, and watched as Rayla was sound asleep once more, her smile clear as day as she rested her head against the window.

He didn't bother waking her up, but he knew he would have to talk to her about her new relationship with Callum. Despite the troubling thoughts of coming forward to Runaan returning, he ignored them. He'd privately talk with Rayla first, and then think of a way of coming clean to his husband about his new found discovery.

Because all he wanted to do was ensure Rayla's happiness, and he would not have that taken away from her.

No matter what.

\-------------------

Callum quietly walked up the stairs, seeing that all the lights were off in the house, letting him know that Ezran and Harrow were already fast asleep. He silently opened his door and threw off his clothes, substituting them for a pair of sweatpants and a plain t-shirt. He already felt drowsiness tugging hard at him, so he climbed into his bed, sliding under the covers and resting his head on his pillow.

As he stared up at the ceiling, his mind soon began to play back the events from all the way back at the sports centre. From the moment Rayla had kissed him, to them becoming a thing, to her resting her head on his shoulder and holding his hand, to him finally back home, lying in his bed.

But Callum simply smiled, letting his eyes close and he soon drifted into a deep sleep.

That night, his dreams were filled with Rayla, and her only.

\-----------------

"Callum!" Ezran's voice rang throughout his ears, as he felt his hands shaking him. "Callum, come on! Get up!"

Callum stirred in his bed, his head feeling foggy as his eyes groggily opened. He first saw sunlight pouring into his room, followed by the slightly-blurry outline of his younger brother standing at the side of his bed. He blinked a few times, before he finally saw his blue eyes and wide smile more clearly.

"Mrrph...Ez...five more minutes please..." He quickly grabbed his pillow and buried his face underneath it, hoping that Ezran would leave.

But to his dismay, he didn't budge. "Nuh-uh!" He replied, this time trying to yank the blanket off of him. "I'm not leaving until you are up and at em!"

"Ezran!" Callum yelled into his pillow. "Can’t you come back later? Why are you waking me up this early anyway?"

He suddenly felt the tugging stop, and he peeked from underneath the pillow to see Ezran tilting his head slightly. "Umm...it's already midday Callum...dad told me to come wake you up." His brother soon began to pull at his blanket again, causing Callum to grab his pillow and throw it at him. "Come on! He made some mac & cheese!"

"By himself?" Callum mumbled, sitting himself up and rubbing his eyes. "That's a first..."

"No silly!" Ezran laughed, ruffling his older brother's already messy hair. "I helped him!"

"That's good..." He muttered sleepily, eyes still half droopy as he turned to his beside table, grabbing his phone. "Alright...I'm up now."

"Are you sure?" Ezran raised an eyebrow. "I don't want to come back in here and find out that you have fallen asleep again."

"Relax Ez." Callum smiled a little as he fumbled out of bed, adjusting his shirt. "See?"

"Hmm...I better not find you in bed after I leave...or else I'll bring dad up!" 

Callum chuckled, playfully extending his hand out to him. "Deal."

"Good." He shook his hand, a grin appearing on his face as he turned around and ran out, shutting the door behind him. 

Even though he felt the urge to just crawl back into bed given how hazy his mind still was, Callum decided not to. Instead, he trudged into his closet, grabbing a long-sleeved shirt, underwear, and a pair of jeans, before going into the bathroom. After quickly brushing his teeth and taking a cold shower to wake himself up completely, Callum slipped into his new set of clothes and trotted down the stairs.

As he entered into the kitchen, he already saw Ezran sitting down and stuffing his face full of macaroni, while Harrow was standing near the countertop, reading a newspaper. However, he raised his head and smiled when he saw Callum at the foot of the steps.

"Look who's finally up." Harrow smiled, setting his newspaper down. 

"Didn't have a choice," Callum replied, moving to grab a plate. "Or else Ez would have brought you up to drag me out of bed."

His stepdad chuckled, moving to sit next to Ezran. "I never planned on doing that. Seems like Ezran tricked you."

Callum glared at at his younger brother, who gave him a smirk before continuing to eat. Sighing to himself, he ambled over and plopped himself in a seat next to Harrow, taking his fork and picking away at his food. There was silence for a few minutes, as Harrow scrolled through his phone while Callum and Ezran ate. 

"So Callum..." Harrow suddenly began, setting his phone down to look at his stepson. "How was last night?"

"Wha..." Callum paused for a second, but soon realized what he was talking about, and he felt his face heat up a bit as he lowered his head, remembering the events of what had happened on that very night. "Oh..it was...uh...great..."

"Did you guys win?" Ezran piped up. 

"Y-Yeah...we beat Lux Aurea Academy..."

"Excellent..." Harrow grinned. "Seems like my best wishes worked for Rayla, huh?"

"I-I guess so..." Callum smiled a little. 

"Did Rayla score any goals?" His younger brother asked. "How did she do?"

"She did amazing." Callum found himself smiling as he continued, "she scored the winning goal during overtime. It was intense...but she did it."

"Nice!" Ezran smiled at his brother as he took another bite out of his food. "She really carried Katolis High School to victory, didn't she?"

Callum silently nodded and went back to eating. Now the kitchen was full of silence again, save for the sounds of forks scrapping against the plates and Harrow's occasional hum from what he was reading on his phone. However, the more Callum continued eating away, the more he thought about having to come clean to his family about Rayla. Even though he didn't want to, his mind kept telling him that they had a right to know, and that he shouldn't keep it a secret, as they would eventually find out later.

But he also knew that telling them sooner than later would be the best option, so, taking a quick breath, he set his fork down and looked up.

"Hey..uh...guys?" Both stopped what they were doing and faced Callum.

"You ok Cal?" Ezran asked.

"Y-Yeah..but uh...there's something else I need to tell you..."

"Oh, what is it Callum?" Harrow asked, raising an eyebrow as he saw his face turn reddish.

"Ah, well you see..." He nervously ran a hand through his hair, his eyes aiming downward. "After we won...I was heading with Claudia back to her car...but I wanted to go find Rayla and congratulate her." He glanced back up to see Ezran cocking his head a bit while Harrow motioned for him to continue. "...and when I found her...I..." He soon stopped, feeling his heart pounding hard against his ribcage as he all but faltered in what he was about say next.

"Callum, what is it?" Harrow asked, getting up and coming to Callum's side, kneeling down and touching his shoulder. "It's ok, take a deep breathe. You know you can tell us anything."

Closing his eyes, Callum took in a lungful of air before opening them back up, this time looking into Harrow's dark green ones. "Me and Rayla...we are..." He stopped again, but this time didn't even bother holding it in as he let out, "me and Rayla are a thing now!"

Silence fell, and Callum watched as Harrow's eyes widened a bit.

"Wait...a thing as in...you guys...are dating!!?" Came Ezran's voice, getting louder as Callum turned to face him, seeing a huge smile curve on his mouth. 

"Yes...Rayla and I are dating now..." Callum mumbled, his face once again heating up.

"I knew it!!!" Ezran practically screamed, his voice echoing across the entire dining area. "I knew it, I knew it, I knew it!!" He jumped off his chair, skipping around the dining room before running into the living room. 

Callum was left in a blushing mess as he heard Harrow chuckling next to him. "Guess Ezran suspected this for quite a bit huh?"

"Y-Yeah...we sorta began dating last night...after the game was over..."

"I see." Harrow nodded, standing back up and beckoning for Callum to follow him. 

They entered the living room, and saw Ezran sitting there already, bouncing up and down as he eyed Callum. "Did you kiss!? Did you admit you love her? Was it amazing? What did it feel like?" Ezran's questions spun around Callum's head, but Harrow soon held a hand up, prompting Ezran to stop.

"Ez, can you please go to your room for a bit? Me and Callum need to discuss something."

"Aww, why can't I listen?" Ezran asked, standing up as Harrow and Callum sat down.

"It's more of a grown up talk...about his new relationship with Rayla, ok?"

Hearing this, Ezran grinned at Callum, but nodded his head as he ran out of the living room and back up the stairs. Once they heard the sound of his bedroom door shut, Harrow soon spoke to Callum.

"So...you and Rayla dating...is this true?"

Callum brushed a bit of hair from the front of his face, slowly nodding his head. "Yes...yes it is..."

"Oh well...that's amazing Callum." Harrow said, firmly putting a hand in his shoulder. "I'm...I'm proud of you."

"You are?" 

"Yes, and I mean...I knew you were already close with Rayla because of your interactions with her when we had her over back in November. So I'm really not shocked by this new fact."

"Oh...right, right." He let out a somewhat awkward chuckle, but his eyes soon looked away from Harrow and stared off to a wall.

"What's on your mind Callum?"

"It's just...all of this is still new to me." The brunette turned to look at the older man. "I guess...I'm just overthinking things right now about all of this."

"Hey..." Harrow gently turned Callum to look at him. "Relax Callum, everything will be alright."

"I know but...what if I make a mess out of it? What if I botch it up? What if...what if I do something that causes it to end almost instantly-"

"Woah, woah." Harrow's voice cut through Callum's own rambling, and he quickly refocused on his stepdad. "Callum, let's take a deep breath, ok?" 

He complied, closing his eyes and taking a couple deep breaths. "Sorry...guess I just panicked a little."

"That's ok, I completely understand." Harrow smiled softly. "I know this entire thing is still new to you, but I know you will be fine Callum, believe me."

"Really?"

His stepdad nodded, but then leaned back a little on the couch. "Callum, did I ever tell you about how me and your mother met?"

"Uhhh...no...no I don't think so."

"Ah well, you were still really small, and you were not there when I met her for the first time." Harrow cleared his throat as he began. "I was visiting Katolis boardwalk, just to you know, take a break from being stuck on my computer constantly and get some fresh air. I was walking near the edge, and then I saw her."

"My mom?"

"Yes, she was leaning forward, her hands braced on the railing as she stared off into the sunset. I walked a little closer, and noticed that she looked upset."

"I think I might know why....my biological dad..." Callum turned his head away, a feeling of anger building up within him. "Leaving my mom alone with me when I was just an infant...what kind of man does that?" His fists clenched, and Harrow laid a hand on his arm. "Sorry...just..."

"It's ok, I understand." Harrow gave him a gentle smile. "But yes...I approached her and asked her if everything was ok. At first she didn't want to talk about, which I completely respected, but she asked if I could still stay around."

"For what?"

"She said she just wanted someone to talk to, and I happily obliged with doing so. We sat down on a bench, still looking at the sunset, but engaging in small talk. I told her the simple things, such as my name, what I do, you know- simple things." He saw as Callum nodded, listening even more now. "We talked for about an hour, before I checked my phone and saw that I needed to go back home. Before I left, she told me she enjoyed my company, and said that she wanted to see me again."

"And did you guys settle on meeting at the boardwalk after that?"

"That's right Callum. Every day after that, we would meet up a the same bench, same time and just talk. We grew closer after that, and at one point she even brought you to the boardwalk."

"She did!?" Callum was surprised by this. 

"Yes, and that was when she also told me about what had happened...with your real dad leaving you and her having to raise you by herself." 

Callum felt his heart break a little, but nodded his head. "What happened after that?"

"After she told me about you, I felt bad, so I treated her to dinner, which was on me."

"Wow...and was that when you two...got together?"

His stepdad chuckled a bit. "No Callum, we kept seeing each other still after that, but it wasn't for a while before I finally had the courage to ask her out to dinner, where it would just be the two of us while you stayed with a babysitter. She smiled warmly and said yes."

"So you took charge huh?" Callum smirked as Harrow playfully rolled his eyes. "Honestly, I thought my mom would be the one to ask you out" That earned a laugh from his stepdad, and Callum joined in on it.

"Either way, we went out to this nice restaurant that was near the beach. After we finished, we decided to grab some ice cream and walk down the coastline...and when we stopped to look out at the sun setting over the horizon...she turned to face me, and I turned to look at her..." Harrow paused for a second, watching as Callum was now leaning in, his curiosity in full swing. "We looked at each other for what felt like minutes, before she leaned in and initiated our first kiss...and I instantly returned it." His eyes glistened and he quickly rubbed them. "After that, you know the rest..."

Callum could feel tears of his own prickling at the corners of his eyes, and he wiped them, smiling a little at what he had just heard from Harrow.

"But you see Callum, a healthy relationship isn't just based on two people simply liking each other, it's more than that. Relationships start with admitting that you love the other person, but then you build it with trust, communication, and respect."

"Yeah...yeah I see that." 

"Good, and I know you will be just like this to Rayla."

"Thanks...but still...those 'what ifs' still keep bouncing in my mind."

"That's alright, those self doubts will go away. You and Rayla have just started your relationship, so in the beginning it might seem all new to you, but overtime you will grow closer together."

"You think so?"

"More than that, I know so Callum." He took his stepson's hand in his. "Because I know you. You respect others around you, and I know you wouldn't be rash with the person you like." He watched as a smile began to form on Callum's mouth upon hearing this. "You're a very responsible, respectful, trustworthy and friendly person Callum, so I wouldn't see you messing up your relationship with Rayla anytime soon." He gently clapped his shoulder as he stood up. "As long as you both communicate and trust one another, then you'll be fine, believe me."

Callum stood up to join Harrow, his smile now more wide. He stepped closer, and Harrow thought he was about to say something to him.

What happened next though surprised him a bit.

Callum suddenly threw his arms around his stepdad's waist, taking him into a hug. This shocked Harrow slightly, but he quickly returned his hug, wrapping his arms around Callum's back.

"I love you...dad," Callum whispered, tightening his grip slightly.

Just hearing those words come out of his mouth made Harrow smile warmly, and he held Callum closer.

"I love you too, son." He gently kissed the top of his head.

They stayed like this for a bit, before Callum slowly pulled back, his smile still bright as he tilted his chin up to look at Harrow. However, Callum soon felt his phone buzzing in his pocket, and he quickly fished it out, looking to see who it was.

"It's Rayla." Callum said upon looking at the caller ID.

"I'll let you two talk." Harrow turned around and walked out of the living room, heading up the stairs.

Once he was out of sight, Callum hit the _accept_ icon, before holding his phone up to his ear. "Hello?"

 _"Hey Callum..."_ Rayla's voice rang from the other end.

"Hey..." He walked into the kitchen, sitting down at the dining table. "How are you doing?"

_"I'm doing fantastic...though I really didn't get enough sleep last night if I'm being honest."_

"Really?"

_"Yeah...I guess I couldn't stop replaying those events from last night at the championship in my head."_

"The one where you won the gold medal?"

 _"No you dummy!"_ Callum heard Rayla laugh a little. _"I'm talking about after the championship, when we...you know."_

"Oh right...yeah of course." He chuckled. "If...if I'm being honest as well Rayla, I couldn't stop thinking about it also."

He heard Rayla sigh on the other end, and there was silence for a few seconds, before she spoke, _"So...did you tell your family yet about us dating?"_

"Yeah, I did tell dad and Ezran."

_"And?"_

"Ezran was jumping up and down, screaming at the top of his lungs that he knew it." He smiled a little, remembering his brother's hyper reaction. "I knew he would react like that, given his whole belief on 'knowing that I would get together with you sooner of later'...or something like that." He listened to Rayla's snort and added, "as for my dad...he was also very accepting of our relationship. So yeah, my family now knows about us, and they aren't raising any objections to it."

 _"That amazing Callum!"_ Rayla said rather enthusiastically.

"And what about you? Do...do Ethari and Runaan also know?"

Rayla was quiet for a minute, and Callum began to worry if everything was alright on her end. However, she soon spoke again, this time her voice quiet.

_"Ethari knows....he knew when he was driving us back home..."_

"Oh...and Runaan?"

_"He...I haven't told him yet...but I will...soon..."_

"Oh, well take your time ok...don't tell him until you feel you are actually ready to do so, ok?"

_"Yeah...but Callum...there is something else."_

"What is it Rayla?"

_"Umm...the reason I called you today was not to ask you if your family knows about us...and while it is a little relieving to here that they are ok with it...it wasn't the main reason for why I need to talk to you."_

"Then..what was the main reason?"

_"It was because Ethari suggested something to me...and Runaan agreed to this also after a bit of persuasion..."_

There was another silence, and Callum felt himself getting nervous as he asked, "Rayla...what did Ethari suggest?"

He heard her take a deep breath, before saying, _"Ethari wants to invite you and your family over to my_ _place...for dinner tonight."_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for reading.
> 
> Teaser for the next chapter: The long awaited meeting between Callum and Runaan.


	22. They Have A Right To Know (Part 2)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Callum meets Rayla for dinner at her house, and they both open up to a certain uncle about their new relationship.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just got passed finishing midterms, so I was able to finally get this chapter done, but anyways- Runaan and Callum meeting time y'all.
> 
> Hope everyone enjoys this one.

Rayla paced nervously back and forth across the hallway, her eyes glued to the front door as she waited to hear a knock or the door bell ring. She still couldn't believe that Ethari had suggested something like having Callum come over. Out of all the things that could have happened, he chose this. 

She still hadn't told Runaan yet about her new relationship with Callum, and frankly, she didn't want to. She knew from the moment she was dropped off at his place by her parents, he was the definition of being overprotective. Teaching her martial arts at a really young age, incorporating swords with it, checking up on her constantly and even showing clear anger when she'd brought up the topic of Callum wanting to invite her over for dinner back in November, was enough of a definition for what he was like on a daily basis.

So when Ethari had told them that he would he preparing an exquisite meal for tonight, of course she was confused and wondered what was going on. When she entered and saw him talking to Runaan, the first thing she saw was her uncle almost wanting to yell, as his brow was furrowed while he shook his head vigorously. After a few minutes, he stormed out, not noticing Rayla as she heard him stomp up the stairs, muttering things under her breath.

When she approached Ethari and asked him what that was about, his next words nearly made her heart stop. He said he wanted to invite Callum and his family over for dinner. She almost panicked right there on the spot, but kept her composure steady. 

She'd asked him why, and he merely smiled, saying that he wanted to return the favor of Harrow inviting them back in November. However, Rayla knew there was more behind this, and after a little more question, Ethari sighed in defeat. He explained that she still needed to tell Runaan about her relationship, and he believed that him being here with his family would be the best way of coming forward to him.

Of course, Rayla objected at first, but after seeing that there was no getting out of it, she soon sighed, calling Callum and telling him about it. Now here she was, waiting anxiously for Callum, wondering when he would show up. Ethari and Runaan were still in the kitchen, and she only wondered how Runaan was going to react to seeing Callum for the first time.

She only prayed that nothing would go wrong, and that Runaan would keep himself in check.

The doorbell suddenly rang, and Rayla jumped. Quickly making sure her purple floral dress and leggings were on properly, she checked in a nearby mirror to also see that her hair was ok, before walking over to the front door. Taking a deep breath, she opened it, revealing Callum and his family standing on the other side.

"Hey Callum." Rayla smiled warmly, before turning her attention to the people beside him. "Harrow, Ezran..."

Before Callum could respond, he felt Ezran brush past him. "Hi Rayla! It's so nice to see you again." He hugged her, and Rayla laughed a little as she returned his embrace.

"Same." She responded, before letting go and turning her attention to Harrow. 

"Hello Rayla, how are you?" The man extending his hand out, and Rayla shook it firmly. 

"I'm doing really well." Rayla said, but internally, her panic had only increased more. Luckily, Harrow didn't notice and she turned her attention to Callum, who was standing there, smiling brightly. Instantly, she felt the fear within her dissolve as she stepped closer to him.

"Hey Rayla..." Callum said.

"Hi Callum." Her smile was wide, and she took him into a massive hug, one that he instantly returned. 

They both stayed like this for a little bit, and Callum noticed Harrow smiling while Ezran made the _heart_ shape with his hands. Eventually, the two parted, and Callum removed his coat. "Where should I put this."

"Oh, follow me." Rayla guided them to a nearby closet, watching as they all hung their jackets. "Come on, Ethari and Runaan are in the kitchen." The group followed the girl as she walked through the living room, before entering the kitchen, where Ethari was busy putting something onto a plate while Runaan stood by his side.

"Uhh...Ethari." Rayla called, and saw as both him and Runaan turned around.

"Ah, Callum!" Ethari smile brightly, wiping his hands on his apron before walking over. "It's so nice to see you and your family again." He extended a hand out to him, but even though Callum shook it, his eyes were focused on the man standing behind him, who's long, white hair was swaying a little while his arms were crossed and he frowned. 

Once Ethari let go, he turned his attention to Harrow while Rayla approached Callum, taking his side as they both looked at Runaan. "Callum...this is Runaan. Runaan, Callum..."

Her uncle walked forward slowly, his eyes narrowed. "So...you're this best friend Rayla has been talking about?" When he spoke, Callum took notice that he appeared to not have a Scottish accent like Ethari and Rayla. It sounded more....English.

"Y-Yes sir." Callum gulped as he shrank back a little at his hard stare, his cyan eyes almost burning through his soul.

Runaan only hummed in response, before he saw Ezran eagerly approaching him. "Hi!" The young boy said rather enthusiastically. 

"Hello..." Runaan greeted, his voice sounding almost like a robot.

"So you're Runaan?" Harrow suddenly asked, walking up to him and placing a hand on Callum's shoulder. "It's very nice to meet you." He extended his hand out, and Runaan tentatively shook it.

"Likewise." He responded flatly.

"So Ethari!" Rayla called, feeling uncomfortable with how Runaan was acting. "How much longer until the food is ready?"

"It's almost done Rayla, just a few more minutes." He replied. "In the meantime, all of you head to the dining table. It's already set, so just wait there!"

"Ok!" Rayla showed Callum and his family to the dining area, while Runaan ambled behind them. She watched as everyone began to find a seat, but when she saw Callum heading over, she stopped him, lightly grabbing his arm. "Hey...uhh...you guys get seated...I...I need to talk to Callum privately for a moment..." That earned a hard stare from Runaan, but Rayla didn't care as she gently pushed him out of the kitchen.

"Rayla?" Callum was confused as she ushered him into a corner of the house, getting as far away as she could from the kitchen. "What's going on?" 

"Callum..." She began, her head aiming down and not looking at him. "I...I haven't told Runaan yet..."

"What?" Still seeing that she didn't look at him, Callum took one of her hands in his, while his other hand reached up to gently grab her chin, tilting it up so that she was looking at him properly. "What do you mean?"

"Runaan....he doesn't know that you and I are...are a thing..." Her breaths were getting a little more rapid, and Callum could see her face shifting into one of fear. "I'm so scared Callum...I don't know how to explain to him about us...cause I know he'll flip out."

"Hey...he wouldn't do that...not with me and my family here." His hand left her chin and cupped her cheek. 

"You don't know him Callum...he would." She placed one of her own hands on his that held her face. "I know I've told you that he has been overprotective, and he was already skeptical when I had told him you were my friend for the first time, but..." Her voice faltered a little, and she saw as worry began to flood in Callum's eyes. "...but telling him about us dating....I know he'll just erupt there and then at the dining table...and I don't want to upset your family!" She started to hyperventilate as her voice picked up a little. "I don't want him to end our relationship! I don't want Harrow and Ezran to think we can't be together! I can't-"

"Woah, woah! Rayla, calm down!" Callum voice was firm, but also gentle as he stroked her cheek with his thumb. "Breathe Rayla, breathe..." 

Rayla closed her eyes and took a deep breath, relaxing. "Sorry...I kinda panicked there..."

"It's perfectly ok, I understand." He offered a small smile. "But my dad and little brother wouldn't think any of what you just said. They like you a lot, and like I said before on the phone, are accepting of our relationship no matter what."

"But Runaan..."

"Runaan won't change what they believe. If your uncle even thinks about wanting to end our relationship, Harrow and Ezran will make sure he has another thing coming." 

Rayla allowed herself to laugh a little, but felt herself calming down even more as she rested her forehead against his, a smile forming on her lips. "I'm sure Ethari would take our side also, because he just wants to see me happy."

"See? Rayla we have a lot of people to support us. Runaan might take a little bit of time to be accepting of our relationship, but I'm sure he'll come around." 

Despite her mind still screaming doubts at her, Rayla still smiled. "Yeah...yeah you're right Callum. Even though he is my uncle, he can't control what I want to do."

"Exactly!" His smile widened more, and he leaned in to press a firm kiss on her lips, one that she instantly returned. "And Rayla..." He began when he parted from her. "If Runaan does start a scene at the dining table...I...I need to tell you something before that...and...it's something I've been wanting to tell you ever since we got together..." 

"Oh? What is it Callum?"

"Rayla..." Callum cleared his throat, his face heating as he took a deep breath. "I...I lo-"

"Guys?"

Both jumped and spun their heads around to see Ezran standing there, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed as he smirked.

"Oh...Ezran." Callum felt his face flush a little, wondering at how long he had been standing there. "What do you need?"

"Ethari says that dinner is ready now, but he won't start until everyone is present, and right now, we are all waiting for you guys to come back."

"Oh right!" Rayla quickly pulled her phone out, her eye widening when she realized that they had spent almost around fifteen minutes talking alone. "Sorry! I guess we must have lost track of time." 

"Well come on then! I'm starving now."

They both followed Ezran, re-entering the kitchen, where everyone was still sitting, their eyes locking onto the two as they moved to take their respective seats; Callum sitting next to Harrow while Rayla sat between him and Ethari. 

Callum gulped a little when he saw Runaan staring hard at him again, but stopped when Ethari nudged his shoulder, giving him a frown that prompted the man to lower his eyes and look at his plate.

"Now that everyone is here," Ethari began, grabbing his fork and knife. "We can all eat now, so help yourselves to anything you like!" 

Callum still had this eyes on Runaan, but when he felt Rayla gently grab his arm, he calmed down a little as he proceeded to fill his plate up.

\--------------

When dinner was over, Ethari had grabbed all the plates, walking over to the sink to wash them. Everyone still remained at the dining table, not saying anything as Runaan was busy looking at his phone, but ever so often would look up to stare at Callum and Rayla before looking back down, his frown still clear as day.

"Ok!" Ethari's voice called over. "Harrow and Ezran, will you both please come with me into the living room?"

"What?" Ezran asked, tilting his head a little. 

Harrow, who seemed to understand what Ethari was implying when he motioned to Callum, Rayla and Runaan, nodded his head. "Yes Ethari, we will come with you."

"Dad? Why are we going?" Ezran still didn't understand as he got up from his seat.

"Callum and Rayla will need to talk about something _important_ to Runaan." Ethari announced, watching as his husband shot him a confused look. "I'll lay out some cookies and drinks for all of us while they speak." He had Harrow and Ezran follow him out of the dining room, leaving the three alone.

Once they were all gone, Callum and Rayla gave each other worried looks as Runaan sighed inwardly, putting his phone away and leaning forward, folding his hands on the table.

"What is going on Rayla?" Her uncle asked, raising an eyebrow as he saw her take a deep breath. "What is it you need to tell me?"

"Umm...ok so..." Rayla found it even harder to talk as Runaan kept his gaze intense on the pair, and she thought for moment that she wouldn't be able to do it as her breathing increased while she felt her body tense up. Callum, seeing this, carefully took her hand in his, hiding it from Runaan as he rubbed her knuckles with his thumb. Rayla seemed to calm down almost instantly as Callum continued his tender ministrations, and she found her voice as she continued, "...as you know, I have gotten closer with Callum over the past few months..."

"Yes...I know this..." Runaan cocked his head a little. "Rayla, just tell me already...why are you taking this long?" Rayla froze again, but Callum brushed his thumb across her hand again, and she relaxed once more.

"Runaan..." Her voice was a little shaky, but she found her confidence as she spoke loud and clearly, "Callum isn't my best friend anymore."

"What?" Her uncle looked to be beyond confused now. "Rayla, what on this gods earth are you saying? You were getting so nervous just to tell me that he isn't your friend anymore? Is that it?" Runaan crossed his arms, his brows knitted together as he looked to be growing impatient.

"No...Callum isn't my best friend anymore...because he's..." She swallowed hard, but furrowed her eyebrows as she all but blurted out, "he's my boyfriend now!"

The kitchen instantly fell silent as Rayla's voice still echoed a little. Runaan's eyes widened, and he looked to be stunned as his mouth fell open slightly. Rayla felt her heart slamming hard against her ribcage as her grip tightened around Callum's hand. Even though she felt him squeeze back, she didn't look at him as her eyes were glued to Runaan, who still didn't say anything.

It was like those words were still processing in his mind...but it wasn't long before he regained his senses.

"He's your...what?" His voice was low...but his eyes narrowed and his teeth gritted a little as Rayla saw his hands ball into fists.

His niece audibly gulped, shrinking back in her seat, her fingers clenching even more into Callum's hand. "W-We are...we are dating..." She turned her head to look at Callum, and saw he was sweating a little as he continued watching her uncle.

For a a few moments, Runaan said nothing, but the teens saw him beginning to tremble. 

"S-Sir..." Callum began, his voice cracking a little. "We...we planned on telling our respective families about this, an-" But he stopped when Runaan jerked his head to look at the boy, his ice blue eyes glaring hard, regarding him almost coldly

"Runaan!" Rayla began to sound a little desperate, and she prayed that Ethari would hear this and come back from the living room with Callum's family. "Please listen! I wanted to tell you sooner...I just didn't know how!"

"You told me now though..." Runaan spoke, his voice filled with what could only be described as sheer anger. "I'm not allowing this..."

"What!?" Rayla's voice squeaked a little. "Runaan...please just listen-"

"No!" His voice was louder now, and he slammed a hand against the table, causing the pair to nearly fall out of their chairs. 

"Sir! If I can please say-"

"Silence boy!" Runaan snapped. "You don't have a say in any of this!"

"Runaan!" Rayla choked out, tears beginning to form in her eyes. "Stop!"

"You listen to me Rayla!" He seemed to not pay attention to his niece's pleas. "I don't care if you two like each other. I absolutely _forbid_ you being with this boy! Do you understand me!?"

"But-" Callum began.

"I said be quiet you!" Runaan cut him off sharply, now standing up. "Say another word, and I'll _toss_ you out of this house!"

"Hey!" The three turned to the living room and saw Harrow glaring, Ethari standing right next to him while Ezran hid behind them. "Do NOT speak to my son like that!" 

"Dad!" Callum called out, his voice a relief as Harrow strode over, taking his place behind the two teens as he continued staring hard at Runaan. Ethari walked over to their side also, crossing his arms.

"Ethari!?" Runaan's voice was almost shocked when he saw his husband standing next to Rayla. "What is this!?"

"Runaan, hear me out." His voice was soft, but also firm. "I've seen how Rayla has bonded with Callum overtime, and she's never been more happy than when she is around him. I myself was a little doubtful about this the first time, but all I want from Rayla is to be happy! I'm sure you would want that also."

For a moment, Runaan faltered, sputtering slightly, before his eyebrows furrowed and he locked eyes with Callum. "This was a mistake...having him come over for dinner."

"Runaan-" Ethari wanted to say something, but his husband continued speaking.

"It should have never happened in the first place. In fact..." His next words were almost dripping with venom as he pointed to Callum. "Him meeting my niece in the first place was a mistake. It should have _never_ happened..."

Silence fell. Both Callum and Rayla felt like they got kicked in the stomach after Runaan said those last few words. However, the silence was soon gone when Harrow spoke up, his voice low and full of anger.

"Watch what you say...do not speak like that to my son."

Runaan didn't even budge at Harrow's tone, only grunting. "Is it wrong to say what I believe?"

"Well somethings should not be said aloud!" Ethari stepped in, frowning. "Runaan, this is no way to act in front of our guests!"

Runaan only shook his head, his eyes now landing on Harrow and Ezran. "You all should leave now..."

"What? You're just going to kick us out like that?" Harrow replied, one of his hands clenching into a fist. "What is your problem?"

" _My problem."_ Runaan's voice raised slightly, as he motioned to Callum. "Is him. He's my problem."

"Runaan!" Ethari spoke sternly. "That's enough!"

"Are you always like this to everyone you see?" Harrow growled, crossing his arms. "Even your own family?"

"What!?" Runaan's eyes widened, but he shook his head. "No I'm not!"

"Well it sure sounds like it, given that you won't hear what Rayla is saying while you are ignoring your own husband." Harrow continued. 

"It's more than just that!" Runaan countered.

"Really? How so?" Harrow spat back.

"Runaan, stop this, now!" Ethari added in. "This is getting ridiculous."

All three adults continued arguing back and forth, and Callum looked to see tears forming in Rayla, while Ezran cowered behind his dad. He could feel himself getting more annoyed by the minute, but everything Runaan had said to him finally made him crack.

"Stop it!" Callum soon burst, causing everyone to go silent, all eyes landing on the brunette. 

"Callum?" Harrow moved a little closer, but noticed his fists clenching as his eyes were set hard on Runaan.

"Stop yelling at my family, and Rayla!" Callum knew he shouldn't be speaking like this, but even though he was normally calm all the time, even he has his limits- and Runaan certainly pushed him to it now. "Why are you being like this!?"

"Because all of this is unacceptable!" Runaan retaliated. "My niece makes friends with you, then you invite her over to your house, and now you all are here telling me that you two are....are dating!!"

"And what's wrong with that?" Callum responded, his eyebrows furrowing and his teeth gritting a little.

"I never agreed to letting her be in a relationship, especially since she still lives under my house!"

"You can't control me life!" Rayla suddenly interjected. "Yes I still live with you and Ethari, but why can't I have some level of freedom to make my own choices? You know I am able to differentiate what is right and what is wrong!"

"I don't care about any of that." Runaan hissed. For a moment, he was quiet, before his eyes looked at Callum. "Break up with her...right now..."

"W-What?" Callum's eyes went wide. 

"This relationship will not continue on, I'm ending it right here, right now..."

"Hey! You can't do that!" Harrow seethed as Ezran hid behind him. "All I want from my son is to be happy, and you're just gonna take it away?"

"Runaan, you can't just make a decision like that right off the bat." Ethari spoke calmly, though Rayla could see his patience was running thin. "This is a family matter, you can't just take things into your own hands like that!"

"Yeah!" Rayla added, feeling herself growing agitated as well. "You can't just force me to not be with someone I like!"

"Watch me..." Runaan said, his voice low and almost menacing.

Callum looked to see Rayla trembling a little, a single tear falling down her cheek, and that was it. Runaan had already pushed his buttons, but now this had gone too far. "Why are you acting like this!?" He said, his voice a little louder. 

"Huh?" Runaan raised an eyebrow.

"Why are so mad over the fact that we are simply happy together?" Callum asked. "Before I met Rayla, I was always this person who didn't want to be with others, or even stay outside in large events! After meeting Rayla though, she helped me with coming out of my shell. She helped me become better with handling situations like that!"

"What does that have to do with anything?" Runaan asked rather bluntly. 

"A lot of things, actually." Callum countered. "When I first met Rayla, I saw just how nice and passionate she was about playing soccer! I've seen how phenomenal she is over the months of us becoming really good friends." He sucked in another deep breath, before continuing, "she is the kindest, bravest, coolest, most talented and most incredible person I have ever met in my life!" He didn't stop there though. "She's amazing at what she does! She's perhaps the best soccer player I have ever seen in my life! And I mean all of it!"

Rayla sat there, shocked at what she had just heard come out of Callum's mouth. All those praises....he meant those?

"Why are you saying all of this!?" Runaan asked, his eyes still narrowed. "You keep saying all these compliments to my niece! What are you playing at?"

"I'm not playing at anything!" Callum insisted.

"Then why are you speaking about her like that!?" The man asked again, his voice even louder now.

"Because I love her!" He blurted out, standing up and putting both his hands on the table, looking Runaan dead in the eye. 

Everyone froze. Rayla looked at Callum, eyes wide and mouth agape. She didn't expect any of those things to come out of Callum...at least not yet anyway. However, it was those last few words that kept on replaying in her head.

He _loved_ her.

But Callum didn't notice her staring as he kept his eyes focused on her uncle, who looked almost stunned over what was just said. For a moment or two, no one said anything.

"What...what did you just say?" Runaan soon spoke, his voice now quiet, having lost all the rage that was in it before.

"You heard what I said." Callum crossed his arms. "I love Rayla, and I mean it." He spoke again, this time his voice showing even more confidence. "I love watching her play on the soccer field, and I love seeing her smile with every goal she scores, and I also love how much effort she puts in when doing what she loves the most!" He then sighed, calming down a little as he continued, "I know you see her like that all the time...and so do I. We are happy together. We enjoy each other's company...and...and I don't think I would have ever found the perfect person in my life...until now." His last few words were a whisper, but everyone heard them. "Going to that soccer game back in September...may have been the best moment of my entire life...because that's when I met the most amazing person ever... _Rayla.."_

His girlfriend could only look at him with complete awe, but Callum still kept looking at Runaan, his fists unclenched as his breathing was now soft, but even.

Runaan was now silent, not saying anything now, his face showing no signs of any change in emotion. However, he soon turned around and walked into the living room, his arms hanging limp. Everyone watched him disappear, before Ethari put a hand on Callum's shoulder.

The boy looked up to see him smiling brightly. "Don't worry about him Callum, let me deal with it." 

He nodded in response, and Ethari walked after Runaan. He then felt another hand on his shoulder, and turned to see Harrow standing behind him, Ezran by his side.

"Callum...are you ok?" Harrow asked, concern laced into his voice.

"Yeah...I'm alright." His stepson smiled reassuringly, but he soon felt his younger brother take him into a hug, one that he happily reciprocated.

When Ezran drew back, he looked behind him to see Rayla standing there, her smile wide. "We're going to go into the living room also, see if we can't help Ethari." 

"We are?" Harrow cocked his head, but when Ezran nudged his shoulder, he quickly looked to where Rayla was. "Ah yes! We'll leave you with Rayla. We...we'll be in the living room if you need us." He quickly turned around, Ezran right beside him, and they both hurried out of the kitchen, leaving a confused Callum standing there.

"Callum?" Rayla's voice spoke from behind him, prompting the boy to turn around. Wordlessly, she approached him, soon standing only a few feet away from him. "What you said to Runaan..."

Wha-" Callum's eyes nearly tripled in size when realization hit him hard. "Oh god! I jus- I literally said it out loud to everyone..."

"Yeah...you did." Her eyes were sparkling, but Callum seemed to not notice as he started to ramble, running a hand through his hair.

"I...I was just getting fed up about what Runaan was saying...and I guess I just wanted to tell him there and then what I really feel for you..." He felt like his mouth moving almost automatically now. "And I love you Rayla...I-I really do! But if you don't feel comfortable saying it also, then that's fine by me...I gue- I mean, I don't know what you feel, cause that's just craz-"

"Callum..." Rayla cut him off, rolling her eyes as she took his hands in hers.

"Y-Yeah..." 

"I love you too."

Hearing those words come from her made Callum freeze and his heart beat almost uncontrollably, but he found himself smiling as Rayla leaned in, planting a soft kiss on his lips.

"Truthfully...I didn't mean to say that out loud." He said almost sheepishly. "I was originally going to say it to you back when you pulled me away into that secluded corner."

"Was this before Ezran walked in?"

"Yeah..." 

His girlfriend only laughed a little, pressing another kiss on his cheek. "Well...at least you said it now."

"True...I just never expected our relationship to go from point a to point b in just the blink of an eye."

"If I'm being honest, I really don't care." Rayla guided him to sit back down at the dining table. "What matters now is where we will go from here. I love, you love me..." She beamed as she rested her forehead against his. "It can only get better from here...."

Callum's eyes radiated as he smiled softly at her, bringing one of his hands up to tuck a bit of her hair behind her ear. "Yeah...I agree Rayla..."

They stared at each other for what felt like forever, before they heard the sound of someone coming back in. Both turning their heads, they saw Harrow standing there, smiling. 

"Hey dad." Callum smiled back, getting up and walking over with Rayla, their hands interlocked. "What's going on?"

"Ethari is right now talking to Runaan." His stepdad replied. "However, he insisted that we stay a little longer, because he still has dessert for us."

"Ah, I think he's talking about his famous 'Moonberry Surprises'." Rayla grinned, watching as her boyfriend shot her a quizzical look.

"Moonberry surprise?" Harrow asked, scratching his beard. 

"That's just the term for what he names his blackberry shortcakes." She answered, giving Callum's hand a squeeze. "They're really amazing. I think Ezran will love them."

"Even more so than jelly tarts?" Callum raised an eyebrow. 

"Maybe..." Rayla shrugged her shoulders. "After I had jelly tarts, I considered them to be the best treat ever, even more so than Ethari's cakes."

"I hope he took no offense in that." Harrow said, chuckling a little.

"Don't worry. Normally he makes these cakes for me and Runaan, since he isn't really a sweets person, if you remember what he said back when we were over at your house for dinner."

"Huh, so a person who doesn't like sweets...but makes them?" Callum scratched his chin. "Interesting."

"He's not weird Callum." Rayla lightly bumped him with her shoulder. "He just loves to bake and cook. It's his passion." 

"I didn't say he was weird." Callum countered, raising his free hand up in mock defense. 

"Oh I know, I was just making sure." She gave him a little poke in the ribs, and everyone laughed.

"Hey guys!" The trio turned their heads to see Ezran standing there, waving excitedly. "The cakes are out now! Come on!"

"Alright Ezran, we are coming!" Harrow called back, turning his attention back to the teens. "Shall we?"

"You go, we'll be right behind you." His stepson replied.

Harrow nodded and turned around. Rayla was about to follow, but Callum pulled her back into him, her body pressing against his as he wrapped his arms around her waist.

"Callum?" She asked, wondering why he did that.

"I love you, Rayla." His whispered, his voice full of sheer affection, and he watched her eyes widen, but a soft smile soon graced her features.

"I love you too, Callum." They exchanged one more quick kiss before walking to the living room, hand-in-hand.

Even though they knew that their relationship had just started, they were still ready would push through anything that came their way.

Because they had each other, and that was more than enough to tell them that everything would be ok.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for reading.
> 
> Can't believe there is only one more chapter left before this story comes to an end. I want to thank everyone for sticking with me through this fic from the start! Makes me happy seeing that people enjoyed this :))
> 
> Teaser for the last chapter: Epilogue


	23. (Epilogue) Just The Start For Us

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 3 years later, Callum and Rayla graduate their high school.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Epilogue time ya'll!
> 
> I promise there is still a lot of cute Rayllum fluffy moments, and Callum has a few words to say :)

_"Now that we have finished passing out the last of the diplomas, will the class valedictorian: Callum Anderson, please come up to the podium to give his speech?"_

Hearing his name, Callum braced himself, getting up from his seat and making his way up to the stage. The principal, who was currently stepping down to allow the young man to come on, smiled gracefully as she nodded at him. Smiling back, Callum soon found himself staring at the rows of students who were all sitting down, wearing their red graduation gowns and hats. 

He already felt nervousness eating at him since he had to speak out to everyone, so he took a few moments to breath in deeply.

As this happened, his eyes panned across the massive structure that they were all inside. Aside from all the students that were gathered in the middle, there were bleachers on both sides, where all the parents, siblings, and friends were sitting. Callum even caught glimpse of his stepdad Harrow, along with Ezran, sitting with Soren and Claudia, who were all smiling brightly at him. 

However, his eyes soon looked to the sea of students once more, and there he spotted a certain white-haired girl with a few violet streaks, sitting in the second row while her lilac eyes sparkled and her smile was wide. She nodded her head, and Callum felt his already rapid heart beat and nervousness die down almost instantly as he smiled back at Rayla, before clearing his throat as he spoke out loud to the entire class.

"Good evening, everyone." He began. "Today marks one of the most important days in all of our lives! These past three years have gone by fast for us, and now we are ready to take the next few steps. We've all had our own experiences when being at Katolis High. Some of them good, others bad, times when we laughed, other times when we crammed hard for an exam, or even times when we came out to represent our school to the best of our ability!" His voice raised a little as his confidence grew. "Now here we all are, ready to begin the next chapter of our lives. I am certain that many of us are already nervous, nervous in the sense of taking those first baby steps into the real world, and I can say that I feel the same."

He paused, taking a short breath, before continuing, "we will meet new people, make new mistakes, have moments where we will laugh, other moments where we will cry, tackle new obstacles, but overall, enjoy what is to come ahead of us. I know that the future is unpredictable for all of us, but that's what makes it exciting. You never know what can be around the next corner, or at the next road intersection, or even at the next minute in general, but understand that every day that passes will be one that is ingrained into our memory. It's almost like a story, which we write out ourselves with each passing second, and it's something that we will all look back on as life continues!"

Callum quickly paused again, coming to the conclusion of his short speech. "One thing that I definitely will remember from the time I spent here, is when I first came to Katolis High..." His eyes landed on Rayla as he spoke his next words, "when I first set foot on its grounds, I immediately felt like I was out of place. I found it hard adjusting, trying to talk with new people, and even resolved to just keeping my distance, not bothering to try and change. However...that all changed when a friend of mine took me out to a soccer game, much to my own objections of course." He chuckled, and a few others joined. "But...going to that soccer game might have been the single greatest thing that ever happened to me, because for the first time, I actually adjusted. After that, I enjoyed going to other games that represented our school, got to spend time with the most special person in my life." He nodded at Rayla's direction, and he saw her blush a little. "...but most importantly...I got to enjoy what Katolis High had to offer for the remainder of my time spent here, which is something I will treasure for the many years to come!"

He was now at the last few sentences, and he spoke loud and proud. "So as I stand here, talking to all you other graduates, I want you all to know one thing! No matter what will happen later on, know that you have friends and family to assist you through what is to come later on! And also know this: where ever your life will take you, you will always be a part of Katolis High....forever and always."

He raised his head back a little, smiling as he finally came to the conclusion of his small speech. There was a massive round of applause after this, and Callum even caught notice of his stepdad standing up with Soren and Claudia, while Ezran bounced in his seat. He then looked at Rayla, who was clapping hard as she smiled lovingly at him. 

Feeling a sense of joy overtake him, Callum stepped down and walked back to his seat.

As he sat back down, the principal came back on, her voice echoing as she spoke through the microphone. Callum seemed to not listen to her closing statements, but what he did remember was getting up with the other students, and moving his tassel to the other side along with the others.

He knew what was happening, he could feel the excitement building within him. He just needed to hear the final six words, and they came no more than a second later.

"Congratulation to the Class of 2024!"

And with that, everyone grabbed their hats and tossed them into the air, cheering loudly as the ceremony was officially over.

\--------------------------

Making sure he had his diploma with him, Callum walked down the hallways with all the other students, heading towards the exit.

However, before he could reach it, he felt a pair of hands grab onto his arm and the next thing he knew, he was pulled to the side as someone engulfed him in a tight hug. It took his mind a moment to process the familiar purple-streaked white hair that he had seen earlier, before he smiled widely and returned Rayla's embrace, lifting her up a little to spin her around.

The moment he set her down, he could only look into her lilac eyes for a few seconds before her arms looped around his neck and she crushed her lips against his. Callum happily reciprocated, wrapping his own arms around her waist as he pulled her in closer. When they broke apart, Rayla continued beaming at him as Callum brought a hand up to tuck a bit of her hair behind her ear.

"We did it!" She exclaimed, bouncing on her feet. "We are no longer high schoolers!"

"I know!" Her boyfriend eagerly replied, holding her close to him as they rested their foreheads together. "Can you believe that we actually made it!?"

"Nope!" She said, smirking as he playfully rolled his eyes at her. "By the way, that was such an amazing speech you gave, I'd give it the highest marks possible!"

Callum sighed happily to himself, kissing her cheek. "Thank you...that speech literally took me hours to write!"

"Well it paid off in the end! Besides, now we are off to bigger, better things at college, and-"

Suddenly, Rayla stopped when she saw Callum's eyes widen a little, before his face shifted into a small frown. This was followed by a small curse that he muttered under his breath as he lowered his head.

Confused by his sudden shift in attitude, Rayla brought a hand up to his cheek, gently holding it.

"Hey..." She carefully lifted his head back up so that she could look at him properly. "What's wrong?"

"I...I completely forgot that we are going to college now...which means that we may have to be separated after summer is over." Callum frowned. "I know I already told you about where I'm going...but I guess that you are going somewhere else....and I...I just don't know what will happen with our relationship now...."

The realization hit Callum hard, and he was about to propose some last minute ideas, when he caught a glimpse of Rayla, who only grinned widely, causing the brunette to raise an eyebrow as she pulled her phone out, opening it.

"Rayla?" Callum tried to see what she was doing, but she held her phone away. He could only watch as she tapped her fingers on the screen, her eyebrows furrowed a little. Soon, she smiled, handing her phone over to him.

"This is the college I plan to go to." She explained, watching as Callum read the acceptance letter. "This one had the best program for Division One Girls Soccer, and I managed to get a scholarship for it!"

Callum eyes narrowed as he read the first few words on the acceptance letter.

_Dear Rayla,_

_It_ _is with great honor that I offer you acceptance into Katolis U on a full-paid scholarship for the prestigious D1 Women's Soccer Team..._

He stopped there, his eyes nearly tripling in size. 

He had already told her beforehand that he was going to Katolis U since they boasted the best education for Fine Arts, but this was a complete shocker to him.

"Well?" Rayla asked, taking her phone back.

"You're...you're going to the same college as me!!?" Callum's face lit with pure joy.

"I mean...I did say that they had the best Division One soccer team for girls." Rayla answered, smiling brightly. "So I guess I am!" The moment she said that, her boyfriend couldn't contain the short squeal as he lifted her up into the air, spinning her around, watching as her red graduation gown fluttered as he twirled her. 

Once he put her back down, he slammed his lips against hers, pulling her flush against him. Rayla sighed as she kissed him back, her hands cupping his nape. 

When they pulled back, Callum grinned almost goofily at her. "This is the best thing ever..."

"Even more so than graduation?" Rayla smirked.

"By a milestone." Callum then took his hand in hers, guiding her to the exit. "Come on, I'm sure our families are still waiting outside for us. We gotta give them the big news about this!"

Rayla laughed at her boyfriend's enthusiasm, and walked alongside him as they exited the building. But as they walked into the cool night, Rayla suddenly felt something buzzing in her mind, and it was accompanied by a feeling of uncertainty. 

"Hey Cal?" She asked, giving his hand a squeeze.

"Yeah?" He stopped, turning to look at her.

"Suppose that...we went to different colleges...would you have been ok with...still wanting to continue our relationship...like through long-distance?"

Upon being asked this, Callum's eyes softened and he smiled warmly, one arm wrapping around her waist while his other cupped her cheek.

"Of course I would have been ok with it....more than ok actually." His thumb traced features across her skin as her eyes sparkled once more. "Because I've said this before to you a lot of times over the past three years: I love you Rayla....I love you so much." He placed a tender kiss on her lips, and his girlfriend couldn't help but smile against his mouth as she melted into it

When they pulled back Rayla smiled angelically as her fingers traced across his jaw and chin. "I love you too, Callum...more than you know it."

They met once more for another kiss, before separating and walking into the courtyard, where all the students were meeting with their families. It didn't take long before Callum spotted his and Rayla spotted hers, both standing together along with Soren and Claudia, who were all waving to the pair. 

Both smiling, they walked over, still holding hands.

Even though high school may have been over, they knew that this was just the beginning for both of them.

College life would be completely different, but both Callum and Rayla were more than ready to face it.

And they couldn't wait to do it....together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And just like that, we are done!
> 
> A sincere thank you to everyone for all the support, I had such a fun time writing out this fic, and it makes me super happy to see that you all enjoyed this!
> 
> Even though this story may be over, I still have plans for a series, and below are a few ideas I've formulated.
> 
> \- I do plan to make a small set of one shot prompts set between chapters 22 and 23, detailing specific moments in Callum and Rayla's growing relationship during the 3 years unaccounted for.
> 
> \- A college follow up is in the makings, but an ETA for the first chapter is unknown as of now, but I should have something later on!
> 
> But as always, thank you all for sticking with me during this ride, and may you all stay safe during these hard times! :))


End file.
